Miss America
by missamerica1122
Summary: Captain America and the Avengers find a dangerous enemy in a powerful young scientist, but they find out she's the least of their problems!
1. Prologue: Break In

I do not own Marvel or the Avengers. I only own original characters. Thank you to the readers and to Marvel for creating such wonderful characters to "borrow" for my story

The pitter patter of stilettos should have been alarming to the agents of the covert organation SHIELD, considering none of their operatives wore high heels. Should have was the key word though. If it had been any other day, she would have been interrogated, locked away, and, for lack of a better word, tattled on. But this college grad was smarter than the average Jane. The Stanford alumni had insider information, which she was using illegally today for personal gain. But just this one time.

"How is the situation in medical bay 4?" Hill snapped into her earpiece.

"There is no situation in medical bay 4. He's Captain America. Any injuries he withstood are already healed."

"How's Agent Barton?"

"He's okay. Worse off than Cap, but he'll live." The voice responded quickly.

"He better. If we lose any of the Avengers we're all dead. I want blood samples and x-rays from both of them. Over cautious is not a viable adjective here."

"Yes Agent Hill."

Steve sat calmly on the medical bed as a SHIELD agent drew a steady stream of blood from his arm. The super soldier didn't so much as wince as the vile was filled. He sighed wearily as he pulled down his civilian sleeve. At least they had given him ten minutes to shower and change. He was scraped, but generally unharmed. Clint on the other hand hadn't been that lucky.

Steve could hear Clint howling in pain as they gently tried to peel his Hawkeye suit off his bloody wounds. Steve was glad he wasn't in the same room, because he couldn't bear the thought of seeing his teammate in such immense pain. He sat motionless until he couldn't take it anymore.

"I'm going to the debriefing room." He stated simply as he rose and strode from the hospital room, focusing hard on ignoring Barton's yells.

"Of course Captain Rogers." The agent responded, then turned to her dark haired assistant. "Please take this to the lab for testing."

The dark haired assistant nodded quickly as she received the vile. She turned on her heels and followed Steve out the door, her stilettos clicking as she went.

She ducked into the closest bathroom to the exit and quietly snuck under the door of the handicap stall and replaced the clothes of the SHIELD agent she had tased before slipping into her own blue sundress that matched her heels. She gently placed the vile in her clutch and strode out of the stall, checking her lipstick in the mirror before she left. She burst out of the women's bathroom, yelling "Help! We have an agent down!".

Agents started toward her, then turned their attention to their colleague, ignoring the out of place beauty as she stealthily snuck out the front door, hailing a cab.

"Excuse me miss-" an agent started to question as he turned to speak with her.

But she was gone.

Authors Note: The story is getting off to a slow start, but I really want to lay the foundation and I enjoy leaving chapters off in suspense Please review! Thanks for reading!


	2. Piecing Together the Pieces

I do not own Marvel or any of its characters! I only own original characters!

The moments following the girl's escape were filled with chaos in SHIELD. Director Fury turned his immediate attention to the tased agent in the women's bathroom and demanded the base be put on lockdown. They were in an office building in New York and it wasn't impossible that someone broke in. Just unlikely. Either way, he wasn't going to let whoever was in the building get to any of their files.

"I want all the computers shut down immediately, I don't care if you are working on a case or debriefing an agent, NOTHING will be accessed until I say so, do you hear me?" Fury yelled into his earpiece as he stormed through the building, checking the IDs of every SHIELD agent in his path. Everyone who was in the building seemed to belong in the building.

"Hill, did you do a security camera sweep?" He demanded as he burst into the only room still in operation.

"The camera's have been shut down sir. For over an hour. Nobody noticed because of the information Barton and Rogers brought in. Everyone's attention went to that, and apparently somebody hacked the camera feed. I just got it live again now."

"Damnit Hill! I won't have someone intrude on my base! If that son of a bitch is still in the building, I want to see him face to face."

"Sir, all the cameras see is SHIELD agents. If there is someone else here, the face scan isn't picking it up."

Fury smoldered as he glared at the computer screen. "Then run a scan of every ID who's been in here today. Nobody gets into this building without security clearance and nobody seems to see anywhere broken into."

"Yes sir." Hill replied, already at work on the computer.

Fury stormed out the of the room angrily towards the debriefing room where Captain Rogers was waiting patiently.

"How are Cap's blood and x-ray results?" Fury asked as calmly as he could into his earpiece.

"We have not taken an x-ray yet sir, and we are still waiting on the blood sample." The voice came over the earpiece, stopping Fury in his tracks in the door of the debriefing room.

Hill, who had been filtering through the names of SHIELD agents, froze and whipped away from the computer. "What do you mean, it was sent to you over an hour ago?" She hissed, face turning white.

"We have yet to receive the sample Agent Hill." The man repeated weakly, knowing that although it wasn't his fault, he would hear about the missing vile.

Fury's eye furrowed as he took a shallow breath. The agent who had been tased had finally come around, but she didn't remember anything. She had been walking into the restroom when everything went black. Fury deduced that she had been tased from behind, so she wouldn't see her attacker, before she reached the mirrors and after any other agents would see her collapse. Whoever had done this was smart. Very smart.

Fury's original suspicion, that someone had snuck in to get information from their computer files, paled in comparison to the truth he now understood. Someone knew that SHIELD would be busy today with Captain Rogers' return, and that someone knew that the doctors would draw blood, and that they could easily take that vile if they only got into the base unnoticed. And someone had achieved that. Someone had waged a war on not only SHIELD, not only the Avengers, but more specifically, Captain America himself.

Meanwhile, the girl sat in the cab heading towards the LaGuardia Airport. She ripped off her brown wig and carefully replaced the dentures that gave her the million dollar smile she'd become famous for. She had stunned some of the most brilliant minds alive not with her beauty, but with her intelligence. But to finish this particular experiment, which she had so much banking on, she needed to do something very stupid. She smiled as she gazed at the vile of red in her hands, excited to see what mysteries it held.

Steve sat at a glass desk, head in his hands. He knew that however panicked SHIELD was over losing his blood, he should be that, but ten fold. Someone wanted something to do with it, and went to great lengths to get it. He could only pray that whoever's hands it was in would use it for some sort of good instead of evil.

The door opened and in strode Tony Stark, followed by Bruce Banner and Natasha Romanov. Thor was still in Asgard and Clint was in intensive care. Everyone who could be there was there, but nobody was really happy about it.

"Was this really necessary? I was in the middle of drawing up blueprints for the next Stark Tower and all of a sudden Jarvis tells me I'm needed at SHIELD and there's a swarm of agents waiting to escort me out. What could possibly be so important that couldn't wait?" Tony whined as he strut into the room, proud as a peacock as always.

"Tony, someone has stolen a vile of Rogers' blood, impersonated a SHIELD agent and got away without leaving so much as a fingerprint. All we know is that the vile was passed on to a SHIELD agent and was not seen again." Fury snapped as he looked over Hill's shoulder as the list of people who checked into the building narrowed.

"Wait wait, someone stole Steve's blood? This sounds like it could be another attempt to recreate the super soldier serum. And I think we all know how often that works out well." Banner directed his comment at Rogers, who stared at him blankly.

"Umm, did everyone else forget how Banner helped bring down the alien attack last year? If I remember right, we were getting our asses kicked before he got angry." Tony snickered as he smacked a smiling Bruce hard on the back.

"Boys, focus, we have bigger problems." The Black Widow added quietly. Her lowered gaze told the rest of the team she wasn't worried as much about Steve's blood being passed about as she was about Barton.

"Director!" Hill said as Fury looked over her shoulder again.

"It can't be." Fury added, causing the rest of the Avengers to turn to him questioningly.

"There was only one other person who was in the building today Sir. The ID was issued to President Anderson.


	3. Without the Avengers

I do not own Marvel or any of their characters! I only own the original characters!

"The President was here?" Tony asked dumbly. "And that's the big problem? What does the President want with the old man's blood? Set it on his mantle?"

"That's enough Stark." Natasha warned quietly.

"No, Tony has a point, sort of." Steve quipped, rising from his chair as he placed his strong hands on the table. "Why would President Anderson come into SHIELD without speaking to anybody and steal a vile of my blood? Plus, with all due respect, we've already established the person in question was a woman."

"And that's why he's the Captain." Bruce smiled at Tony, who crossed his arms and rolled his eyes.

By this point, Fury was already on the phone with the White House, demanding answers.

"I want to know why the President's ID was used to break into my secret facility. If not President Anderson himself, then someone close to him was in our building today, and I'm taking it as a sign that the United States Government is asking for a war against us, particularly, Captain Steven Rogers."

"Director Fury," The woman on the other line sighed deeply, "The President and his wife have been preparing for the Governor's Ball and there are several _hundred_ witnesses to confirm this. As far as we know, no one from his personal staff was at SHIELD. I'm sorry Director Fury." The President's aid was fantastic at covering for him, but even Fury knew she probably wasn't lying. The President probably had no idea of what had happened.

"Would you please have him call me when he can. I feel he should be aware that he has a mole in his office, and one with something very important to us." Fury responded calmly. As calmly as he possibly could.

The aid was about to hang up when she was stopped dead in her tracks. Fury could hear mumbling coming from the other end of the line, then the woman shakily said, "Please hold for the President."

Fury stepped out of the room to talk to the President about his leak in his inner circle, leaving the Avengers to bicker amongst themselves.

"We need to track down whoever did this. We can't let them get away with Steve's DNA. What if, what if…" Bruce trailed off, rubbing his forehead tensely.

"Why would we do that? It's gone, and this is the President we're talking about. If he didn't know anything about it, he's not going to figure out who did it. If he does know, he's not going to give them up. It's us verses him." Tony mumbled, hating now being the most powerful man in the conversation.

"We need to prevent someone from recreating the super soldier serum. Whoever did this has a much better chance of replicating it than I did, and I'm the closest of anybody." Bruce interjected, staring at his "Science Bro", trying to convince him how important it was for his support.

"I don't like it. I don't it at all. But it's my weight to bear. You guys shouldn't get involved in this political mess. I'll figure it out myself." Steve finished, ending the conversation.

"You won't exactly be fixing this yourself Cap. Because the Avengers as a whole have a very large problem that's been building for a while, and I blame myself for blind siding you with this. But after the alien invasion last year, the government started looking into our "Avengers Initiative". Not just the Council but the government itself. Let's just say the Council didn't exactly put in a good word for you guys after I ignored their stupid ass decision to nuke New York. The Senate wrote a bill to disband the Avengers. And the President approved it. He approved it last week. When I talked to President Anderson, he asked me where he should formally send your invitations to the Governors Ball. He plans on announcing the Bill Friday evening at the ball. And he wants you all present for the news."

"I won't take this. Don't you remember what happened last time the government tried to take my suit away?" Tony stated casually, unaffected by the harsh reality that had fell upon them.

"I'm Russian, I don't answer to the government." Natasha answered simply.

"Well, you try telling them that." Bruce mumbled, rubbing his temples, "Let's be honest with ourselves guys, we destroyed most of New York. Several hundred people were killed, and even though that wasn't us doing the killing, we get all the press. People don't feel safe anymore and I don't blame them."

"That's your fear of the Other Guy talking, the world needs the Avengers. And I for one am going to fight for us." Tony stated, turning to Fury, "We're not going to take this."

Fury smiled weakly at the billionaire's determination. This was one of the few time's Stark's 'I get everything I want' attitude was a good thing.

"At least you guys have lives outside of this mess." Steve muttered, turning angrily on Tony. "If the government gets rid of the Avengers, you still have your money and business and Dr. Banner is still a doctor. What about me? What about Romanoff? What about Barton? I mean, hell, at least those two have each other, but me? I've got nothing. I don't belong here." Steve snapped, bitter that his one purpose in this century was being ripped away from him.

"Please don't bring up Barton and I." Natasha moaned, showing a rare glimpse of emotion.

"Well, the dinosaur has a point." Tony started, hand stroking his goatee.

"Dinosaur? That's a new one. I'm getting older and older." Steve muttered as he rolled his eyes.

"Maybe we need to convince them that not only do they _need_ us, but we need to stay the Avengers. For us. For our sake. I mean, who in the government is going to put _Captain America_ out of a job. We can use him as our poster boy."

"SHIELD does that already…" Steve said, cheek in hand as he sat at the glass table.

"Exactly! We're going to waltz into that ball Friday evening, suit and all, and show them what we'd be without the Avengers. Maybe we'll even stage a threat…"

"No Tony. We will not be endangering some of the most important political figures in this country." Hill interrupted, finally speaking after listening the Avengers' banter.

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Tony barked in response.

"I suggest you buy a new suit. Come Friday you'll all be attending the banquet." Fury answered before striding out of the room, leaving the four Avengers to ponder what their futures held.

"I'm not sure what's worse, the spandex or this suit." Steve mumbled as Pepper smoothed the tux over his broad shoulders Thursday afternoon. "Thank you ma'am. And thank you for offering to buy me a suit for the banquet."

"No problem Steve, I'm not having you look ridiculous, and if it were up to Tony and Clint, I think we both know that would be the case. And SHIELD would probably convince you to wear the Captain America suit, which would be the same as asking Dr. Banner to bring along The Other Guy."

The corner of Steve's mouth turned up into a grin as he imagined his colleague hulking out in the middle of a Presidential Ball. That would sure convince the members of Congress to veto the bill to shut them down.

"Ma'am, I do believe I prefer this to the uniform, although I can't say it's more comfortable."

"Please call me Pepper Steve. I think we know each other well enough to go on a first name basis." Pepper quipped as she came around to his front, motioning for the saleswoman to bring her selections in ties. "Do you want a little red, white, and blue, or would you prefer a night off as the Star Spangled Man?"

"Pepper, what if they shut down the Avengers. What will happen to me?" Steve responded, not so much ignoring Pepper's question, but unsure about whether he should cling to the Captain or accept his soon to be civilian life.

"Well, I guess that depends. If they shut down the Avengers you could always continue working for SHIELD like Clint and Natasha. If they mean to shut down SHIELD..." Pepper murmured as she selected a red tie and prepared to place it around his thick neck.

"You don't think they would disband SHIELD do you ma'- Pepper? I mean, it's a government agency..."

"A government agency that point blank defied the World Council when they were given an order. I wouldn't be surprised if they were shut down. But the Avengers, they were seen causing all this destruction. They'll almost surely be disbanded." Pepper sighed woefully as she tightened Steve's tie.

"Perhaps I'll join the army." Steve chucked as the saleswoman gawked rudely at his physique. Pepper shooed her away disapprovingly as Steve smoothed his hair in the mirror.

"Or you could retire, after all, you're over 90 years old." Pepper responded as she handed the saleswoman Stark's credit card. "You don't owe this country anymore than you've already given."

Steve knew Pepper wasn't talking about his service in World War II or even fighting off the Chitauri last year. She was talking about crashing that Hydra plane into the ice and giving up his chance to be with the woman he loved. It's not that he didn't believe he'd find love again if he went looking. He just wasn't sure if he wanted to. His life was precarious, not by choice, but by fate. Perhaps he was doomed to be 24 forever, and everyone he met would age without him. Perhaps he was meant to die in battle as an Avenger or as a soldier. Either way, he didn't foresee a lasting relationship with anyone in this century.

Steve shrugged after the saleswoman gently pulled the suit jacket off his back. "Perhaps. But, for now let's focus on getting through tomorrow night. Thank you Pepper for all your help." He gave her a small hug before returning to the dressing room.

Pepper watched him go sadly, feeling bad for the super soldier. She wished that something in this world could make him happy. He loved drawing, but he had no desire to be an artist anymore. He had always wanted to serve his country, but actually joining the army would inevitably result in a media circus, which the government would shut down as well. Steve's real problem was that he didn't know what made him happy outside of being Captain America. Captain America was the only thing that spanned his almost century long life. Everything after the serum was Captain America. Everything before the serum he didn't want to remember.


	4. America's Sweetheart

I do not own Marvel or any of their characters! I only own my original characters!

**Authors Note: **This chapter is dedicated to Livea who left me some lovely reviews as well as my 3 people who favorite the story and four who followed! I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please review/comment/private message me if you have any idea/concerns/complaints! I want to write for you guys, and if I know what you like and don't like, I'll be more than willing to work with it! ALSO: A warning to readers: I'm a long winded writer. I take my time writing chapters, so I know it seems like I'm just building, but I promise, it's all just part of the plan!

"Come on Gramps, we're gonna be late if you don't start moving a little faster!" Tony hollered, glancing at his watch anxiously. He was wearing his signature tuxedo except with black and gold flecks in his standard black tie. His hair was slicked back and he wore his dark glasses, completely unnecessary for a political ball held at eight o'clock in the evening.

"Be. Nice." Pepper scolded, straightening his tie. Tony placed a hand on her lower back, the soft satin fabric beneath his fingers. Pepper had spared no expense buying _herself_ a new outfit for the evening after helping Steve out. Her floor length sea green halter dress fit her like a glove, and cost Stark more than he used to pay her in a month. Now that she was CEO, she was the boss, and he was her boyfriend.

"What? This is a big night and I don't want Spangles causing us to be late. I don't care if he's almost a century old, that's no excuse to keep Mr. President waiting. Bruce is already in the limo. Not only are we keeping all three branches of the American government waiting, we're keeping the Hulk waiting. That's just rude."

"Bruce is fine. And we won't be late." Pepper answered as Steve came out of the bathroom.

"What, are you balding? How long does it take to fix your hair?" Tony whined as he led the way to the elevator.

Steve shrugged, smoothing down his red tie. "I wanted to make sure I made a good impression. After all, if the fate of the Avengers rested in your hands, we'll be shut down before they serve dessert."

"I appreciate that Cap, really, I do." Tony joked as the elevator dinged and they got out and waltzed into the lobby of Avengers Tower, the newly reimaged Stark Tower.

Steve opened the door to the limosine for Pepper to get in, but Tony jumped in before she got the chance. Steve threw Pepper a strained glance, to which Pepper smirked, unfazed by her boyfriend's regular behavior. She knew Tony, she knew what pushed his buttons and she knew when he was trying to make Steve uncomfortable. Which was ninety percent of the time.

Tony popped a bottle of champaine as he scooted closer to Bruce, making the scientist gently attempt to move away.

"Are we celebrating going out in style?" Steve mumbled as Happy closed the limo door behind him.

"We are celebrating keeping the Avengers going. Which is what's going to happen. Because I have a plan."

Bruce and Steve exchanged a skeptical glance. Pepper patted Tony's leg supportively. "Tony..."

"No, this isn't some scheme Pepper, its just an idea. An idea that I think may work. You see, I had Jarvis hack into the government's database..."

"I did not just hear that." Steve blurted over Tony.

"...and he got me a copy of the guest list. You know, the President, the First Lady, Congress and their wives. But, there was a very interesting name on there that I know will make quite a fuss, and I think it could be a way to help us."

"And who is this wonderful person who will throw in their lot with a bunch of freaks who destroyed New York? Surely no one who has any power to do anything." Bruce retorted, staring at Tony with disbelief in his eyes.

Tony just shrugged, taking a sip of his champaigne. "I think if America's Sweetheart took our side, not even the President could stop us."

"Miss Anderson! Over here!"

"Miss Anderson! Andrea!"

"Can we get a comment over here Miss Anderson?"

"Please tell us about your trip to South Africa!"

"Have negotiations for the art school come through yet?"

"Andrea, is it true you are dating an underwear model?"

The beautiful blonde smiled sweetly at the papparazzi as they snapped endless pictures. She turned gently in her floor length navy blue dress, letting the slight train trail behind her. Red lips framed her perfect white teeth, just as her brown smokey eyes brought out the glorious blue that were her sapphire eyes. Of all the polititions attending the Governer's Ball tonight, she was the only one drawing any press, whether is be about her charity work with children in South Africa or her efforts to open up an art school for under privilaged children in Brooklyn, or even her dating life. She was the perfect combination of sex appeal and All American Girl. Men around the world wanted her, and more than her assistant would admit had gotten to her. Every little girl from Seattle to Miami wanted to be her. Every teenager wanted to know her secret to men while every college hopefull wanted to know her secret to success. She was everything fashion and class. She even had the President of the United States wrapped around her finger. She was Andrea Anderson, the President's daughter.

"Miss Anderson does not have a comment on any questions tonight. She is here to support her father at this important event and will comment on all of your questions at a later date." Her tiny assistant hurried to answer before her boss could say something incriminating.

Andrea turned on her heels, revealing a deep slit all the way up to her thigh as she strode towards the building. Before she reached the door, as her assistant held it, waiting for her to waltz through, Andrea turned to the nearest microphone and answered sweetly, almost Marilyn Monroe-like, "And for the record, things didn't work out with the underwear model."

A thousand more cameras began flashing and the screaming roared as the blonde beauty waltzed into the building, making her grand entrance at the ball. Her assistant looked like she was going to have a heart attack. Or strangle her.

"Miss Romanoff, you look stunning, as usual." Dr. Banner complimented the assassin as he gave her a gentle hug. After the whole Hulking Out incident when they first met, Bruce and Natasha had become friends. Well, as close to friends as Natasha allowed.

"Thank you Dr. Banner." She responded quietly, nodding her head gently in greeting. She had a firm hand on Clint's arm, which was bandaged under his grey suit. His ribs were also wrapped, but no one would know the wiser. He walked gingerly with Natasha by his side, but he was glad to be there with his fellow Avengers, even if everything hurt.

"Nice for you to join us Bird Brain." Tony said under his breath, warranting a small smile from Clint.

"The feeling is mutual Metal Butt."

"Okay children, could be at least pretend to be adults." Fury moaned as he walked up to them, wearing his usual black trenchcoat.

"What, you didnt' dress up for the occasion?" Tony smirked, fake dissapointment lingering in his voice.

"I wore my fancy eye patch, now we need a plan of attack for this evening." Fury muttered, his team unsure whether or not he was kidding. "Start mingling, be nice, and don't break anything."

"Me? Break anything? I think you have me mistaken with Steve."

"This isn't funny Tony." Steve barked, a little too loudly, because everyone within twenty feet turned to stare.

The misfit team composed themselves, Steve holding up his hands in an apology for his interruption. When the guests saw who it was, there was a mixed reaction of annoyance and honor. Some of the older members of Congress bowed their heads in an honored greeting, realizing who the super soldier was. Others who were much younger shot him annoyed stares, not caring is he was a World War II hero. He was an Avenger.

"I hate things like this." The super soldier whimpered, turning away from a group of men in their thirties who appeared to be far too young to be in politics.

"Don't worry about it Steve." Natasha answered, placing a gentle but deadly hand on his shoulder.

"Can I just say I miss Point Break? Talk about a booming voice."

Clint, Natasha, Bruce, Steve, and Fury turned on Tony. Pepper put her arm gently through his, biting her lip in a silent prayer the rest of the team wouldn't jump him.

Steve took a deep breath, then strode away, the others following suit, leaving Tony and Pepper alone.

"Good, I thought they'd never leave." Tony sighed, gazing at Pepper, "Won't you help me woo some polititions?"

Pepper sighed deeply, "Tony…"

"Anyway." Tony interrupted, surveying the room, "I need to talk to the President about changing his mind about a bill."

**Authors Note:** I meant for this chapter to be longer, but I've been super busy! I promise, however, that the story will be done within the next month, because to be perfectly honest, I'm moving and won't have time to write when I get moved! So please tell me what you think! I'll try to have the next chapter up within the next few days. Also! Do you guys prefer lots of shorter chapters more frequently, or less long chapters but only once a week? Thanks!


	5. More Than Meets the Eye

I do not own Marvel or any of their characters! I only own my original characters!

"Mr. President." Tony addressed as he thrust his hand forward to shake the President's.

"Mr. Stark." The President smiled as he took it. "I'm glad you could make it this evening. This is my wife, Sandra." He said, introducing the beautiful brunette beside him.

"It's an honor to meet you." Pepper interjected before Tony could speak.

"Mr.- Can I call you Anderson? Mr. Anderson. President Anderson. Could I possibly steal you away for a minute?" Tony said smoothly.

The President smirked, "If you wait until after dinner, we'll open up the ballroom for dancing."

"I'll find you again then." Tony retorted at the joke as the President led him away from the women.

"Your boyfriend is an interesting one." Sandra noted under her breath.

Pepper turned to the First Lady, "You have no idea."

"He will not convince Conrad to veto the Bill. It actually hasn't gone through yet. It's still sitting on his desk, waiting to be approved. He's torn, but, his hands are tied."

Pepper tilted her head curiously, not quite understanding. "If he has the power to veto it, and isn't sure he wants to approve it, why can he not be convinced?"

"Because, Miss Potts, as you probably know, there is a higher power than the President. And that higher power does not like SHIELD or the Avengers very much right now."

"This is boring." Clint stated bluntly as he stood with Natasha, Steve, and Bruce.

"This is perfect." Bruce said, giving Clint a look that said "Don't even think about it…"

"But Clint has a point," Steve started, "No one will even speak to us."

With that, Natasha pulled aside the first Congressman who got close enough to her and started talking with him about who knows what. She shrugged back at them as he began to pull her away towards his table.

"I'm not doing that." Clint blurted.

"Me neither." Bruce added.

"What just happened?" Steve stated rhetorically.

Even so, the three men looked up at the crowded room. Though they didn't feel like pulling a Natasha and wooing someone to their side, they did feel like they should pull their weight. They weren't about to go down without a fight.

Lucky for them, a small woman scurried up to them and started talking, holding onto an iPad.

"Miss Anderson has requested that you gentlemen sit next to her at dinner. At the President's table."

"What about the others?" Clint asked sincerely, wondering why Tony and Natasha hadn't been extended the same invitation.

"Mr. Stark is speaking with her father as we speak. She assumes by the time we eat her father will be finished with his company. And Miss Anderson does extend the same invitation to Miss Romanoff," The woman said, glancing at her tablet for the name. "However, it seems she may have wandered off."

Bruce glanced at Clint, "I'm sure she'll be fine."

"Of course. Well, we'd be happy to join her." Clint responded, glancing at Steve, who had been silent the whole time.

"Wonderful, you can follow me." The woman stated, leading them towards the front of the room.

"Mr. Stark. Enough small talk." President Anderson stopped the billionaire after they had been talking about nothing for five minutes. "You're powers of persuasion are unfortunately wasted on me. My hands are tied about the Avengers Bill. I'm approving it tomorrow morning. I'm announcing it tonight. I'm sorry."

"You haven't even approved it yet?" Tony asked, surprised. He had assumed he was attempting the impossible. This would be easier than he thought.

"No, I haven't, because quite frankly, I don't think it's a good idea." The President leaned in closer to Stark, "But the decision isn't mine to make. It's the Council's."

Tony huffed in frustration, "I'm not giving up my suits. Not to those no good so called good meaning politicians to tried to nuke New York. I almost died fixing their mistake, you tell me why I should stop protecting my city, my livelihood, my family."

The President smirked, gently saying, "Are the Avengers your family?"

Tony smiled grandly as the President's aid stood to the microphone, a bout to announce dinner, "They are in fact."

"Attention, we will now begin serving dinner. If you would all please take your seats." The President's aid addressed the room, professionally ordering them all to sit down quickly so they could begin.

President Anderson turned to Tony, "Well Mr. Stark, it's been a pleasure speaking with you. I hope you don't think badly of me, now that you know the truth." The President was sincere in his words. He really didn't want to disban the Avengers. He knew that New York would be gone right now, and although hundreds died, millions would have died if that nuke had hit the island. Tony made the right call saving New York, and the President's heart went out to him for that.

Tony knew this as he bid the President goodbye and went to find Pepper, who had a spot at a nearby table waiting for him. Natasha and some man Tony had never met before were there. Tony winked at him, wondering if the man knew he was sitting with an Avenger. The man returned the gesture, and Tony knew where that man's mind was going and where his evening was hopefully following.

As Tony sat he looked around, wondering where his team went. "Where's Spangles, Bird Brain and Banner?"

Natasha shot him a look that could kill, and Pepper didn't even look up from smoothing her dress as she answered. "They're at the President's table."

Tony chocked back his shock and blurted out, "Why?"

"They were invited?" Natasha asked, clearly embarrassed by the genius.

"But why?" Tony asked again.

Pepper turned to him, "Miss Anderson invited them."

Tony smiled to himself, "Hope they have better luck than I do. If we're lucky she'll sit next to Clint."

Pepper and Natasha exchanged a disapproving glance, knowing the President's Daughter's reputation with men.

As everyone took their seats, the aid took to the microphone once more. "The President of the United States, The First Lady, and their daughter, Miss Anderson."

The men in attendance barely contained their cat calls as Andrea entered the room behind her parents, smiling like a pageant queen. She sat down next to her father, Bruce Banner on her left. As the applause died down, waiters in white with black vests began bringing drinks.

"Well, that was fun." Andrea stated as she crossed her leg, the slit of her dress causing both sides of the dress to fall at her side, showing her leg as she gently placed her napkin on it.

Bruce turned to Steve and who simply looked horrified. This wasn't just some dame, this was the President's daughter. Times had changed.

President Anderson took notice of Steve's shocked face and addressed his daughter, "It's a little too much leg for this evening Andrea."

She turned to him, smiling gently, "I was hoping to dance afterwards. Is Jonathan here this evening?"

Her father nodded, smiling back at her. "Yes he is, in fact. Do you two intend on putting on a show?"

"If the President wishes it, I'll do it. Is that not what I'm here for?" The girls smile remained intact, but the comment was bitter. Bruce noticed her mother didn't look over at her, a knowing look plaguing her face.

The President cleared his throat, then addressed the three Avengers next to his daughter. "Excuse me, I don't believe we've met?" He clearly didn't understand why these strangers were at his table to witness his family troubles, but he tried to keep his agitation in check.

Andrea turned her attention to the men beside her, and became instantly flustered, although whether or not it was an act Bruce wasn't sure. "I'm so sorry! I invited you over here and then was caught up in my own little world." She apologized, her voice dripping honey, "Daddy, these are the Avengers. Well, not all of them, but…"

"Oh. Of course." Mr. Anderson answered simply, "Welcome to the Governors Ball. Have you been enjoying yourselves?"

"Yes Mr. President." Bruce answered for them all, taking charge of this awkward he'd been thrown into.

"I'm Andrea Anderson. And of course you know my father and mother." Andrea introduced, extending a hand to Bruce, who quickly took it.

"I'm Dr. Banner, this is Steve Rogers, and Clint Barton."

"Dr. Banner? You're _the_ Dr. Banner?" Andrea questioned, and Bruce knew it was sincerity in her voice this time.

"I am. I'm sure you've heard of- The Other Guy."

"Who hasn't?" Andrea started cautiously before continuing, "But what I'm really interested in is your scientific work. I'm a scientist myself."

Bruce considered this, and Clint took the silence to blurt out, "You're kidding?"

"I am not Mr. Barton. Or should I call you Agent Barton, or maybe even Hawkeye?" Andrea answered, meeting his surprised gaze. "I'm the President's daughter, but I'm a lot of other things. I'm a Stanford graduate, I have my Masters Degree in Genetic Science, I'm a professionally trained classical dancer. And yet all anyone, including yourself, seems to believe is that I am a celebrity with fantastic taste in clothing, a reputation for doing good deeds and infamous men?" She sighed sadly, pulling the fabric of her dress back up over her leg. "I guess I shouldn't expect much else should I? This is who I am portrayed to be."

Clint pulled his gaze away from the girl, afraid he'd insulted her. Finally he looked her in the eyes again and said simply. "I'm sorry I said that."

Andrea smiled grandly, "Don't be. It's not your fault. I guess scientist is a bit of a stretch from fashion icon." She laughed, turning to her father, who didn't say a word. Then he turned to join the conversation his wife was engaged in, silently having been told to butt out of his daughter's business.

Bruce cleared his throat, "I am glad that you've heard of me. It's an honor to be known to the Pres- someone of your stature." He stopped himself, realizing she didn't like being associated solely with her father's status.

"Being known is an understatement I'm afraid Dr. Banner. I must admit I'm a bit of a fan girl. You see, I based my senior thesis off of your work. Tweaking it of course, but, I attribute much of the process to your work."

"What was your thesis on?" Bruce asked, intrigued by the girl.

"Well," She started, shifting uncomfortably, "It was actually on the super soldier serum. I had believed I could recreate the serum that created Captain America- that helped Captain Rogers become Captain America." She rephrased, soft eyes falling on Steve for the first time. She considered him, quiet, calm, almost regal. Everything a Captain should be. But he was young. He was young as her. "May I be frank Mr. Rogers?"

Steve studied her, unsure about what he should answer, "Of course Ma'am."

Andrea's eyes lit up a little at that, then softened quickly, the wheels turning in her head before she spoke, as if her question was changing. "You really were born in the 1920's weren't you?"

Steve considered this, unsure about what SHIELD would want him to answer. He knew that they were trying spin the story that this was actually a new Captain America, since the old one had died in World War II. The only thing more dangerous than having someone with the super soldier serum in him was someone who had somehow found the secret to eternal youth, while being a super soldier.

But as he gazed into her eyes, he saw that she had planned to call his bluff, drawing some sort of confession out of him, calling him Captain Rogers until he corrected her. And he had surprised her by accidentally pulling out his 1940's manners. She patiently waited for an answer from him, not prodding, but softly staring. She didn't stare at his body though, his perfect fitting suit or large stature. She eyes were trained on his, as if searching his soul for something she was desperately trying to understand.

"I was in fact." He answered quietly as his food was set before him. He cleared his throat and turned away from her, breaking their stare.

She finally pulled her faze form him, thanking her waiter for the food. As she began to eat, she turned her attention back to Bruce. "I'd love to talk to you about your experiments sometime. If you'd allow it of course."

"Would I have much choice?" Bruce mumbled, immediately regretting his words when he saw her face fall like a ton of bricks.

"Of course." She whispered, feeling defeated. Even these super heroes could see her as no more than a poster child for the Presidential Family or some Playboy Bunny who had an infamous past.

Steve ate in silence, however, Bruce continued to make conversation with the girl, Clint adding in occasionally. The two loosened her up, got her to talk about science and traveling and things that seemed fairly harmless when it came to upsetting her.

All Steve could think about was how she had written her senior thesis about the super soldier serum. And how someone from the President's inner circle had stolen a vile of his blood. And how if he wanted the truth, he was going to have to get it out of her himself.

**Authors Note**: I'm really feeling the love from those who have reviewed my story! Thank you so much! Aaaand, I have the next chapter already finished and queued up! BUT, I've decided when I post it is up to you! As soon as I get either 10 favorites or 10 reviews, I'll post the next chapter! Interactive fan fiction? In a weird way, yeah. Please tell me what you like/don't like about the story! I'm also still trying to figure out how to do the chapters: lots of little ones, or fewer big ones! Please let me know! The more feedback I get, the more I'll delve into the story! (Because I'm so lost at this whole fan fiction thing!)


	6. A Dangerous Move

I do not own Marvel or any of their characters (Including the Fantastic Four)! I only own my original characters!

After a while, the President stood and was handed a microphone from his aid. Everyone in the room turned their attention to him.

"If I could have everyone attention, I have announcement to make." The President took a deep breath, then started what he was dreading, because he knew a handful of people in the room were dreading this. "As you know, Congress has passed the Avengers Bill, stating that their division is to be shut down immediately, as well as some divisions of their Mother Organization. I just want to inform everyone that I have the Bill on my desk in the Oval Office, and it will be approved first thing tomorrow morning."

Andrea stood quickly, shocking everyone in the room. She quickly grabbed the microphone, addressing the group, he father wondering what she was doing but not stopping her. "Please. Please don't do this. This is a mistake."

There was a rumbling in the room and the President tried to take the mic, but she continued, "For you see, I fear we may need them. I fear we may need them very soon."

A voice from the audience yelled, "What if they turn on us? Like the soldier in Russia?"

Andrea thought before she spoke, "Did you expect the Nazis to create an army to march with us? This is _why_ we need them. Things that we can't explain are showing up all over the world. From the Russia incident to what happened last year in New York… what are we supposed to do then?"

"Andrea…" Her father threatened, hand held out for the microphone.

She turned to him, eyes pleading, "Please, Daddy, give it one more week. Some things are about to come to light, and I think you should consider them before making this decision."

The President searched the room before making eye contact with a man. The man nodded slightly, giving him the go ahead to wait. "Alright. Alright." With that he turned off the microphone, handing it to his aid. "What the hell was that?" He hissed quietly, his wife leaning in to hear Andrea's answer.

"I'm sorry, it's just-" Andrea's aid walked up to her, interrupting her.

"Miss Anderson, Mr. Maksim is on the phone for you. He says it's urgent and cannot wait."

She turned to her parents, who were beginning to fume.

"What have you done?" Her mother sneered, looking around to make sure no one from the other tables was seeing their tussle. Luckily everyone was talking amongst themselves about the incident.

"You did it." Her father said simply, knowing why there was a Russian man calling his daughter.

She held his gaze, "I actually undid it."

"When did you get back from California from the art school meeting?" Her father asked simply. The anger had faded from his face and was replaced with a sort of pride and worry, that could only come from his daughter doing something amazing, but not good.

She didn't respond to his question. She stood and followed her aid, taking the call.

The President turned to Bruce, Steve, and Clint, who were staring at him. He looked around the room and saw Tony Stark also staring at him. They all were wondering the same thing: What had just happened, and what did it mean for them?

"Well, I guess you have one more week. Don't make me regret my decistion." The President snarled as he got up and left the table.

Steve turned to see Tony fist pumping the air as Pepper tried to pull his arm down.

After an hour or so, the orchestra began to play and the polititians began to move towards the dance floor. The Avengers once again met up, this time Fury was the one fuming.

"What the hell happened back there? What did you three do?" He snapped at Bruce, Steve, and Clint.

"We were invited to sit with the President's daughter, where we had casual conversation until she basically told off the government?" Clint pondered thoughtfully.

Natasha took his arm again, having ditched her now depressed Congressman. "Either way, it give us more time, and apparently a new villain to fight."

"What were they talking about? The situation in Russia?" Steve asked.

"Several decades ago the Russians found a soldier trapped in ice, much like you were, except, he hadn't been frozen as long. They hired him to work for them, doing who knows what. Either way, a couple of years before we found you, he turned on them, and has been wreaking havoc ever since." Fury explained, eye never leaving Steve's face.

"They found someone who was like me?" He questioned, Fury still not having explained that part of the story.

Fury studied him, contemplating if he should share the information he had withheld. "While you were selling war bonds, Hydra was working on their own super soldier serum. And Dr. Zola got pretty darn close. Killed off most of his subjects, but apparently one the Russians brain washed him, he had said he had served with you."

Steve stiffened. Frozen in ice. Just like him. One of his own. Could it be?

"What was his name?" Steve hissed, taking a step towards Fury.

Fury simply shook his head, Hill pulling out her gun if she needed it.

"What was his name?"

"Who's name?" A female voice asked from behind them. They turned to see Andrea standing there, assistant beside her, typing feverishly on her tablet.

"No one's." Steve mumbled, giving up on his quest. He would rather suffer from never knowing than have her all up in his business.

"Miss Anderson." Fury stated in greeting.

"Director Fury I assume." Andrea bowed her head in greeting.

"May I ask what all that was about?" Fury questioned, keeping his eye on the woman.

"I think it would be a waste to get rid of such talent. Plus, I was hoping Dr. Banner would return the favor and talk with me about his work."

"From what I hear Miss Anderson, you don't need any more tutilige. I heard through the grapevine you studied under Reed Richards." Fury said slowly.

"From the Fantastic Four?" Clint quipped, now truly interested.

"Yes, I did in fact. He's brilliant after all. I actually helped him out a bit. I got very close to the family." She cooed, smirking.

"Yes, we all know how close you were to his brother in law." Hill interrupted.

Andrea shrugged, "It was a brief, yet fiery, affair."

"I'm sure you still keep in touch now that the Fantastic Four is done. Our reports say that they gave up their powers in order to pursue normal lives. I'm sure Mr. Storm was in favor of that." Fury taunted.

"So, which one of you strapping men is going to dance with me?" Andrea changed the subject, surveying the guys quickly, "What about you Agent Barton?" She studied the man up and down, sensing his confidence and agility.

"I would Miss Anderson, if I weren't injured." He revealed the bandage on his arm. She pouted slightly, before turning to Steve.

"What about you soldier?"

"I don't know how to dance."

"I'll teach you how."

Steve stiffened up at her voice as she said that, mind flashing back to Peggy and his final moments with her before he crashed and lost her.

"I actually love to dance." Tony interjected, snapping Andea's attention away from the Captain.

She raised her eyebrow as he pulled away from Pepper, who smiled at her. "Really? I guess I never pictured you the ballroom type."

"I'm really not, but, I do dance, and you seem to be looking for a partner."

Andrea smiled coyly, tilting her head down before extending her hand. "Shall we Mr. Stark?"

"Well, if you insist." He answered, taking her hand and leading her to the dance floor.

"You okay Cap?" Bruce asked gingerly, Steve still staring after the woman.

"I'm sure he's just glad Tony was there to cut in." Pepper answered for the man, who finally broke his gaze and let it fall to the floor.

Was he actually happy Tony had cut in? Or maybe, deep inside, he had actually wanted her to ask him to dance?


	7. Tango

I do not own Marvel or any of their characters! I only own my original characters!

**Authors Note: **Alright guys! I have FINALLY decided where this story is heading! Thank you all for reading and for all the reviews and support! It really makes it worth my time to write! As long as you guys keep reading, I'll keep writing! And, I have Chapters 7, 8, and 9 already written! As soon as I hit 10 comments or Reviews, I'll post the next two! (I cheated and gave you guys two chapters before I said I would, because I love my readers!) Now, on with the show!

Tony bid Andrea goodbye with a kiss on the cheek as Pepper cut in, taking back her boyfriend. Andrea smiled sweetly at Pepper, who surprisingly stood above her boyfriend as he put his hand on the small of her back and they began to dance.

She turned around to survey the room. Her eyes landed on the rest of the Avengers briefly, and she took a step towards them before a young man called out her name. She turned around and hugged him, cooing out a name Steve didn't catch as she kissed him on the cheek.

"His name is Jonathan Miller." Fury scowled. "They went to school together when they were younger. His mother is the Secretary of State and his father is on the International Council. He was one of the ones who sent the nuke out to New York."

"They seem to be rather fond of each other." Clint curiously asked as he watched the two talk. Andrea laughed as he placed his hand on her waste.

"They took ballroom dance together for six years in high school and college." Natasha muttered, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "That twit I ate with told me all about them."

"They aren't dating." Fury said bluntly. "According to our research, he doesn't approve of her scientific work. That's why they stopped taking classes together. Supposedly this is the first time they've seen each other in four years."

Leave it to Nick Fury to know everything they could possibly ever need to know about the woman who had saved their butts. Natasha could tell that he was still keeping something from them, and she stared him down, as if waiting for him to finish.

Nick Fury caught her glance and added before walking away, "Stay away from her as best you can." Then he walked into the crowed and vanished.

Steve turned away from the Director of SHIELD to gaze at the dance floor which was being cleared. The band started playing a seductive tune, and Andrea and Jonathan fell into position, her right hand in his left, her left hand on his shoulder and his right hand had a tight grip on her lower back, lower than Steve would have dared to let his hand wander.

She slowly slid out her right leg, the slit causing the fabric to fall around it once more. She slowly traced the ground with the toe of her heel, then snapped back up and the two burst into a fiery tango. He spun her quickly around and lifted her off the ground easily, their eyes trained on only each other.

Steve watched in amazement, they were good. The whole room fell into silence as they faded the lights and watched the couple dance their tango. Their dance. Once the song ended, and Jonathan pulled her up from a low dip and they embraced, then he whispered something in her ear and she nodded hesitantly before watching him go.

The politicians and guests began to pair up and dance to a slow waltz that the band began to play. The show was over, and Andrea was left on the sideline of the spotlight, alone.

"I think there's so much more to her than people see." Tony said sincerely, catching the team's attention. "I asked her about the scene she caused. She said that she believes in heroes, and she's tired of the government taking them down. She's on our side."

Pepper smiled at him grimly, then he took her hand and they slowly started to dance close to the group.

Natasha shot death glares at any man that got within ten feet of her, until Clint finally offered his hand. The red haired assassin considered it, then took it cautiously, as if the hand was snake, and the two began to dance.

"I'm not dancing with you." Bruce injected into the awkward silence that hung between him and Steve as they watched the others dance together.

"Wasn't planning on asking." Steve muttered back. Then he turned to leave.

"Where you going Cap?" Clint called after him, a weak hand keeping Natasha close to him as best he could with his injuries.

"I'm going to get a drink." Steve replied.

"You can't get drunk." Tony spoke what Steve already knew.

"Doesn't mean I can't drink when I'm feeling alone."

As Steve walked towards the bar, Andrea slowly made her way to the Avengers. She stopped next to Bruce, who was more than content being a wallflower.

"You're really good." He said simply, looking at his dancing friends and not at her.

The beautiful blonde sighed, "Thanks. I miss dancing with him."

"Why don't you anymore?" Bruce prodded.

She shrugged, eyes full of sadness, "Because four years ago my dad started his campaign for President, and I became someone else."

Bruce stole a quick look at the girl, who was forcing a smile as she watched Tony whisper sweet nothings to Pepper, causing her to giggle.

"And ever since then, it's all gone downhill. And I've done things I'm not proud of. I've hurt good people. And I've used people. And I've made people believe I'm some sort of Saintly Siren, which is a complete lie." Andrea added quietly, pulling her chin down to her collarbone, as if trying to hide her eyes from Bruce.

"I've hurt so many people…" Bruce admitted, although he didn't understand why. Why was he telling her this? Why was she sucking him in? He should just keep his mouth shut.

"You've never intentionally hurt anyone. I have. I've looked into people's eyes as I followed orders. And that cost me the man I loved." She gazed into the direction in which Jonathan went.

Dr. Banner rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, clearing his throat, "I don't understand a lot of things about you. But what I do understand is that you tried to help us. And we're grateful for that. Even if it comes to pass that the Avengers are still shut down- "

"Dr. Banner," Andrea stammered as she shook her head violently, "Dr. Banner, the Avengers won't be shut down. No, no, the Avengers will be destroyed."

Bruce stared at her incredulously, "What do you mean by that?"

She scanned the room and her eyes landed on the American Representative of The Council. Mr. Miller stared at her with stone cold eyes and she bit her lip nervously. "I cannot tell you here Dr. Banner. I cannot tell you at all. If I do, surely you will all pay the price. Just know there are some very wicked people who have it out for you. And you should try to stay away from me."

With that, the blonde waved over her assistant and bowed her head gently to say goodbye to Bruce, then the two walked towards the door as her assistant called for a limo. Bruce watched her go, and saw she took a deep breath and smoothed down her dress, then, even from the back, he saw her lift her head before the doors swung open the cascade of cameras fell upon her once more as she made her way to the car. Bruce knew that screaming and questioning awaited her at the White House.

"Alright, who's ready to head back to Stark Tower to celebrate?" Tony hollered, catching the attention of his fellow Avengers as well as the agitated couples around him. He swooped out of the room, Pepper on his arm, followed by Clint and Natasha, then Bruce, and finally Steve, who had been watching Andrea and Bruce the whole time.

The next morning found a very tired Andrea Anderson laying face first in her king sized bed in the White House. Her small Westie puppy began to walk all over her back as her assistant opened the blinds, effectively bringing her out of her slumber.

"Twenty more minutes Tiffany. Or two hours. It's like, ten in the morning." Andrea murmured into her pillow as the dog began to lick her face, "Ewww, Maddy, please don't!" She scolded the dog before slipping over and scooping up the puppy, kissing her soft fur.

"Nope. You need to be at the museum opening with your parents at one, and there will surely be some press. There always is wherever you go. Sometimes I think you get more attention than your father." Tiffany gently tapped her cheeks.

Andrea smiled bitterly at her assistant. At her friend. Her only real friend it seemed.

"This is positively cruel of you Tiffany. You know how I hate mornings."

"Then it's a good thing I already made you coffee." Tiffany handed her a purple mug that had steam curling from the top.

"Is it black?"

"Oh you know it is."

"Fine. I'll forgive you. This time. If you let the dog out." Andrea bargained, taking a sip of the drink.

"I already did. Why do you think she was awake to lick your face when I needed you to get out of bed?" Tiffany asked coyly as she laid out the outfit Andrea was supposed to wear.

Andrea stared at her assistant, narrowing her eyes. "Ohhh, you're good."

"What did your father say when you got home last night?" Tiffany asked nonchalantly as she picked up Andrea's evening gown from the floor and began to fold it.

Andrea hummed, petting Maddy. "That's confidential."

"You tell me everything."

"He didn't say anything."

"That I believe." Tiffany told her as she started towards the door, "I think your father knows the unsaid agreement you two have about, you know…"

Andrea swung her legs over the bed, sufficiently chugging the black coffee. She stretched and scratched her messy blonde hair. "I'm gonna get in the shower. Have some yogurt and bacon waiting for me when I get down?"

Tiffany smiled as she left her boss alone, "Like I do every morning Miss Anderson. Don't forget your, ehem, meeting, at 11:45." She added, a little nervously, as she scurried out of the room.

"No."

"Tony…" Pepper cooed as she rubbed his back, trying to coax him out of bed.

"No."

Pepper sighed, laying her lips against his dark hair, giving him a gentle kiss. "Fine. Stay in bed all day. I was thinking you'd want to come with me to the museum opening, considering the President won't be announcing the retirement of the Avengers."

"After last night I may have to retire." Tony mumbled into his pillow.

"The party wasn't that bad." Pepper chuckled.

"It was what happened after the party that wore me out." Tony answered, lifting his face just enough to wink at her as she turned a light shade of pink.

"Mr. Stark, Captain Rogers wants to speak with you. He says it's urgent." Jarvis announced to the bedroom.

"Not now Jarvis, whatever it is can wait." Tony snarled at the voice.

"But sir, it's all over the news. The President's daughter has been taken hostage."


	8. Do Good

I do not own Marvel or any of their characters! I only own my original characters!

**Authors Note:** WARNING! Character deaths! It's sad but necessary for the plot line. Fear not however, I refuse to kill off any of the Avengers (However, some other Marvel characters may die later, but, for now, on with the show!)

Within moments of Jarvis's announcement, Fury was on the phone, demanding the Avengers do something. "If you save her, we're home free." He hissed before he hung up the phone.

Tony turned to face Pepper, who was staring out the window of Stark Tower, gazing at the cop cars and fire trucks that were racing down Park Avenue. "If you go now, you'll have a lead on where she is." Pepper said simply, then turned to Tony. "Go with Steve."

Tony moaned and jabbed a button on his bedstand, causing the Iron Man case to open, revealing his latest suit. He tumbled out of bed and pulled on a t-shirt and jeans before preparing to suit up.

"Tony come on!" Steve slammed his fist on the billionaire's bedroom door.

Pepper swung it open and turned Steve several shades of red when he saw she was merely in her bra and underwear.

"He's ready Steve." She said simply, smiling at the blushing soldier. She helped Steve pull up his mask, then watched him latch his shield around his shoulder before heading towards the elevator. "I'll meet you there Stark!" He called as he jabbed the button for the room. "Jarvis, get Clint to the roof, I'm gonna need a ride!"

Moments later, Iron Man whisked out of the open balcony door, followed by Clint flying the Quinjet. In three minutes flat, the three Avengers were standing next to the police officers who were surrounding the United Nations.

"What's the situation?" Cap asked the Chief of Police who sauntered up to them.

The man eyed the Avengers up and down, before simply answering, "We've got it under control. Go home."

"Sir, the President's daughter is a hostage, I think you can use all the help you can get." Steve retorted sternly.

Hawkeye opened up his bow and loaded an arrow, "I'll keep an eye on the perimeter, in case they try to sneak her out.

"Good, Tony, I want you to come in with me. You take care of the kidnappers, I'll get Miss Anderson." Steve ordered.

"You got it Capsicle." Tony responded as he flew up a few floors, waiting for the signal to break into the building.

"I said no." The Police Chief stated again, this time putting a strong hand on Cap's shield. His eyes softened for just a moment, "We have orders to keep you guys out of this."

"Do you remember who saved you when the alien invasion occurred? Do you remember a certain man looking something like me telling you how to save New York? If you don't remember sir, then I suggest you need to have your memory looked at, because I remember you like it was yesterday." Steve's eyes were in full Captain mode, and his stance was one ready for attack, whether or not the NYPD gave him their blessing.

The officer bit the inside of his lip, then nodded. "Go in now. I'll take care of it. Bring her out safely."

Steve saluted the man, then ran into the building, breaking down the door with his shoulder. Tony flew down and followed him through the door swiftly, then followed the trail of debris to the room where Andrea was inevitably being held. Steve could see that the rest of the inhabitants of the building had fled in a hurry, which made him worried that gunshots had been involved.

There was a glass door, which was locked shut, but through the glass Steve could see four large men with guns surrounding a tied up Andrea, who had a gag in her mouth, tears streaming down her face as muffled screams escaped her throat. Steve could see a small heap of a woman laying unconscious on the ground next to Andrea, which he undoubtedly realized was her assistant.

He motioned for Tony to cut the jets and stand down. Tony did and quietly hid behind the wall, waiting for Cap to give him the signal to charge. Cap grabbed his shield and held it in front of him, out of view of the men, waiting for the opportune moment.

"If you don't want to end up like your friend, give us the formula." The taller of the men hissed, pressing a gun against Andrea's head. She stared at him, eyes full of defiance and fear.

"Pull the gag, Maksim, she can't tell us if she can't speak."

"If I pull the gag she'll scream."

"And what if she does? The place is already surrounded. The only way we're getting out of here is if we use her as leverage."

Maksim pulled the gag out of Andrea's mouth, which elicited a sob from the blonde.

"We had a deal!" Maksim growled as he grabbed her neck, squeezing until she turned purple.

"We _had_ a deal, but you lied to me. You said you had good intentions for my work, to save your country from destruction, not to mass murder your enemies." She hiss back, which earned her a violent slap in the jaw. She whipped her face back, hair covering half her face. She pursed her lips, fury building in her eyes. "I'd rather die than help men like you."

"You've already helped men like us. Except they were American and not Russian." Maksim told her as he took the safety off his gun and pointed it at her chest.

Iron Man smashed through the glass, taking out three of the four men as she crashed through the window. Maksim quickly turned around to make sure there was no one else coming. With Iron Man taking care of the rest, Captain America took his chances with their leader, running towards him, shield in front of his face. Maksim shot at him, bullets bouncing off the vibranium shield. As Steve got closer, he swung his shield and effectively knocked Maksim off his feet. He slid the shield back onto his shoulder and quickly untied Andrea as more Russians began to flood into the room, muttering things he didn't understand.

"Now would have been a wonderful time to bring along Natasha Romanoff." Andrea mumbled, backing away from the gun wielding men.

"What, you don't like your rescue team?" Steve asked, a smile creeping onto his face.

Andrea never took her eyes away from the men, "I wouldn't say I'm exactly rescued yet."

"Do you trust me?" Captain America asked her, causing her to stare at her dead friend.

She didn't really have much of a choice if she wanted to live. She turned to look the man in his blue eyes, how own twinkling, "With my life."

He put one strong arm around her and pulled the shield off of his shoulder to cover them as the bullets began to rain upon them.

"Hawkeye, I need a way down!" He demanded into his earpiece, looking out the shattered window at the street three floors below.

"You got it Cap." Hawkeye answered through the earpiece, then Steve started backing away from the men, towards the broken window.

"What are you doing?" Andrea screeched when she felt a foot slip of the side of the building, being held up only by Cap's left arm.

"You said you trusted me." He answered her question, and gave her his shield, "Hold this." He told her, then jumped off the side of the building.

Andrea screamed as she rushed towards the pavement, as an arrow with a rope attached hit the concrete above the second floor window.

In one fluid motion, Steve gripped the rope tightly, causing them to swing down towards the ground, where he let go and landed on his feet, still holding Andrea tightly as she clutched his red white and blue shield for dear life.

The cops did their best to hold off the paparazzi who had followed when Iron Man and Captain America showed up, and when they realized it was Andrea Anderson they were saving, all hell broke loose.

"Miss Anderson, what happened?"

"Andrea are you alright?"

"Do you know the Avengers Miss Anderson?"

They all called over the police officers, but Andrea ignored them. She stayed clutched in Steve's arm, not letting go of the shield or his side. Steve looked around as photographers took pictures of him in his mask, his face set, then he gently took the shield from Andrea and used it to shield her from the camera flashed. She finally loosened her death grip and instead attached her arm around Steve's chest, embracing him in a deep hug as she buried her face into his uniform.

"Thank you. Thank you so much." She murmured into him, squeezing him harder. The she pulled her face away and tilted her chin to look up at him. Even with her heels on, she was at least six inches shorter than him. She gently stroked his cheek, gazing into his blue eyes. She resisted the urge to pull off his mask so she could see him fully. His gaze was placid, but his eyes showed a level of care that had been missing the night before. She felt her stomach churn as she realized she'd put him in danger. Not only that, she'd killed Tiffany.

"Andrea!" A woman's voice cried out, and the cameras left Andrea and began flashing furiously at the brunette woman, who hurried towards her daughter. The secret service gently shoved a few photographers who dared to get a little too close to the First Lady.

Andrea finally broke away from Captain America to embrace her mom. She sobbed into her mother's shoulder as the First Lady surveyed the scene, from Captain America standing two feet away to Iron Man, who was handing over a handful of Russion mob members to the NYPD, accompanied by Hawkeye, who had flushed out the rest from the building.

"What the hell happened?" Sandra Anderson hissed quietly as she stroked her daughters tangled hair.

"I was trying to do good. I wanted to avenge my past. That's all. I just, I wanted to do something good."

Several hours later, Steve and Tony sat in the oval office of the White House. Clint had somehow managed to escape the demands of the first lady, and flew the Quinjet home. The limo carrying Sandra also brought Andrea, Steve, and Tony back to her home. They all sat in silence as the President paced the room.

"What were you thinking? The Russian mob?" He yelled at his daughter, who had mascara running down her cheeks and didn't bother to wipe it away.

"I-I just wanted t-to-"

"You led someone into a death trap. Your best friend is dead because of you!" He screamed back at her, forcing her to face the complete reality of her actions.

Suddenly, Steve was taken back to the forties. He was hanging off the side of a train on the side of a snowy mountain, reaching desperately to catch his best friend as he plummeted to his death.

_Your best friend is dead because of you._

"She knows this!" Steve yelled back, standing to his feet, causing the President to take a step back. "Blaming her won't bring her friend back. I know. Trust me."

"Steve…" Tony muttered, trying to get his colleague to sit back down.

"Don't you dare talk back to me. This is quite a bit of your fault, whether you realize it or not!" The President snapped back, standing his ground.

"I don't understand how I fit into this, except the part where I saved your daughter's life."

The President of the United States studied the star spangled hero, who had removed his mask, revealing his blond hair and stony glare. He was the epitome of a hero. And he had saved his little girl. His little girl who had done so much wrong, because that was the person he'd created her to be.

He nodded, "You're right." He turned to his daughter, who looked at the floor shamefully, "I'm sorry Andrea. I'm just glad you are safe. And I know that you were trying to help."

"Help my ass, that worked out perfectly." Andrea spat, finally rubbing the makeup off her face.

"We'll find you a new assistant." Her mother said softly, patting her on the back.

Andrea stared at her in disbelief, "No. Tiffany can't be replaced. She wasn't even supposed to be there. She was supposed to leave. They shot her in the back. I'm not letting anyone else get hurt because of me. And trust me, now that this is out, people will come. They'll come for me, and for what I've created. And I pray that when they do, you all know that I didn't do it for myself. I did it for the people blackmailing me."

**Author's Note: **Dun dun dun! Just a reminder, I like obvious plots so if you think my plot is see through, it's kind of supposed to be. If not, then don't worry, more surprises for later! Reviews are greatly appreciated! And thank you to everyone who's followed and favorite and above all READ! I love writing this story, and I do it for you guys!


	9. And Then It Starts

I do not own Marvel or any of their characters! I only own my original characters!

**NOTE: **This is not a new chapter! I found some errors in it that really bothered me so I took it down and am reposting it! Sorry for the confusion everybody! Thank you for your continued reading and support!

Suddenly, Mr. Miller walked in and glared at Tony and Steve.

"Would you two please excuse us?" He snarled.

Tony lifted his hands in defense, "No problem big guy, we should probably get going anyway. Now, if I could get my suit back?" Tony prodded, gesturing to his suitless body.

"Please show him to his suit Amanda." The President ordered and Tony followed her out, chatting away about his latest accomplishment with the Iron Man suit. Steve turned around as he got to the door, seeing the pleading look in Andrea's eyes, he wished he could stay and protect her, because it was becoming very apparent that it was from those closest to her she needed to be protected from.

Back at Stark Tower, Steve doodled in his sketch book. Normally the faces most vivid in his mind were Bucky and Peggy and Howard, who almost always somehow seemed to morph into Tony. But today, his fingers seemed to want a change, and he vaguely sketched the President's daughter. Not the sassy seductress the media portrayed, or the kind soul that the news showed. He drew her as he saw her in that last moment as he walked away, eyes full of fear and longing, as if she desperately needed someone to protect her from all the protection.

"I saw the way she looked at you after you saved her."

Steve turned his head slightly and saw Clint out of the corner of his eye. He almost closed the sketch book, but decided against it, and continued drawing anyway. "And what look did you see?"

"The look of someone who was desperately trying not to fall in love." Barton responded, turning on the tv from where he stood behind Steve.

Steve shook his head, laughing at the thought, "I think The Hawk need to get his head out of the clouds."

"Don't call me by any nicknames Steve, it's weird coming form you." Clint responded, a sour look on his face.

"Tony does it."

"Since when do you want to be like Tony?" Clint snorted, wondering where all this was coming from.

"Because any woman would choose Tony over me. Chivalry is dead. And I refuse to give up my morals." Steve mumbled as he flipped the page on his sketch book, hiding his portrait of Andrea from view.

Clint considered this for a moment. Looks wise, most women would choose Steve. Personality wise, most woman would choose Steve. But when it came to relationships, barely any woman would chose Steve over Tony. Sure, Steve would help you move on a Sunday, but Tony would take you right to the sweet spot, no time or commitment required. That was what modern women wanted. And Steve hated that about modern women.

"Cap…"

"I'm fine Barton." Steve sighed, closing the book and setting down his pencils. He rubbed his face tiredly. He had changed into a plain white t-shirt and grey sweatpants, his usual when lounging at home. He didn't know what to do with himself. He was at a loss. What was there here for him?

Clint gave him a pat on the shoulder, then sauntered off to the kitchen for food. Steve sat alone, staring at the tv, uninterested in whatever show it played. He wasn't fine. He knew that.

At about three in the morning, a buzzer ran out throughout the whole tower, effectively waking up the Avengers. Over Jarvis's system, Nick Fury's voice rang out. "I need to see you all in ten minutes in the conference room."

Tony moaned and rolled over, angrily punching the air for having been woken up. Clint easily slid out of bed, and Natasha hadn't been sleeping at all. Bruce rubbed his eyes as he swung his legs over the side and Steve moaned as he looked at his clock. 3:00. Couldn't this have waited three hours until he was actually up?

The Avengers assembled in the conference room from their various floors of Stark Tower.

"This better be good, since you woke me up you mother-" Tony snarled as he started towards Director Fury.

"Someone get me a gun." Natasha muttered, daggers of eyes stabbing at Tony as he continued to whine.

"I have arrows?" Clint offered, coming up beside his partner.

"If its sharp, I can make it work." Natasha answered, although Clint didn't give her an arrow, as Steve wandered up beside them, rubbing his eyes tiredly. The team wasn't used to seeing Steve anything but composed. It reminded them that he too was only human.

Bruce brought up the rear, having tossed on his leather jacket over his bare chest and boxers. He looked ridiculous. Tony took notice.

"What, no Hulk pajamies?" Tony taunted.

"Don't talk about The Other Guy this early in the morning." Bruce bit back.

"I'm going to shoot someone." Natasha said simply, arms crossed, eyes cold, stance hard.

"Right there with you Nat." Barton yawned, leaning his head against her shoulder until she smacked it hard, causing him to yelp.

"What is it Fury?" Steve asked, smoothing back his bed head as he took to the front of the grumbling group of super heroes.

Director Fury, who had been standing in silence, scanned his team, then slowly spoke. "The President has contacted me in regards to this afternoon's incident. He seems afraid for his daughter's safety, especially after today, after what should have been a simple business meeting turned into the hostage situation of the decade on our own soil. He's asked if we would protect his daughter. He seems to think that we've made a good impression on her, and perhaps we could keep her out of harm's way. She'll cooperate with us. And only us."

"What exactly happened today?" Tony inquired, voice dripping with curiosity, even at such an early hour.

"I'm not at liberty to say. Let's just say, I know some things that you guys don't. And there's a good reason I haven't told you. I want you to trust me on this one. You. Don't. Want. To. Know."

That shut the group up. They knew that Fury's secrets had secrets, and most of the time they wanted to know those secrets. But there was something in Nick Fury's eye that made them think twice before grilling him for information.

"Where is she now?" Steve asked quietly, worried about the woman.

"She's here." Fury said simply, leading them to a bathroom door and opening it gently, revealing the inside. Andrea sat on the floor, cross legged, chin in her hand. She looked up at them when the door opened, and she immediately looked down when she saw the looks on their faces. It ranged from shock to pity to anger.

Steve shoved his way through his teammates and knelt down beside her, holding her face in his hands, "Who did this to you?" He whispered, examining her black eye.

She gulped down hard, carefully looking up at his face, "Mr. Miller." She answered, taking his large hand in her small one. His face hardened, and her grip on his hand matched it. "After you left. He lost his temper. He felt horrible after it happened, but, but I didn't follow the plan."

"What plan?" Fury asked, pushing through the staring team holing up the doorway.

"I wasn't supposed to make a deal with Russia." She mustered, leaning against Steve. "I was supposed to- I should have never tried to recreate the super soldier serum."

"Is that what all this is about?" Steve questioned, helping her to her feet.

"More or less. It started as a thesis, for my science degree. But when my father got elected President, it became up to me to actually figure it out. Because I had the resources. I could do what no one else could. But I couldn't replicate the serum. But I accidentally created something else."

"What is it?" Natasha snapped, tiring of her riddles.

Andrea looked up at the red headed woman, "It's a formula to reverse the effects of the super soldier serum."

Bruce took a step towards the girl, while Steve leaned away. Andrea took notice of their reactions, as well as the disapproving look on Nick Fury's face.

"I stole Steve's blood. To perfect to antidote. It was easy to break down the serum if I had a sample of the real thing. The problem is, on a real person, it breaks down muscle mass. On him it would deplete it back to its original state. On a normal person, it would deplete it down to nothing."

"Why would you create such a thing?" Nick Fury growled, stepping closer to her.

"Because up until this morning, I was only looking out for myself. And I knew that if the Council decided to get rid of the Avengers, they'd come to me, like they've done before. And if I was already ready, then, then they wouldn't hurt Jonathan."

"Why would they do that?" Fury asked, getting annoyed.

"Because they are blackmailing me, don't you see it? The World Council? They are trying to pretend none of this ever happened. They are trying to erase it all, from Project Rebirth to the alien invasion, but they can't, because you guys are still here. That's why Congress passed the bill, that's why my father didn't have a choice, don't you see? There's no escaping it. Perhaps for you guys, but not for me. I'll be a slave to them for the rest of my life. And my cover is a spoiled slut who helps orphans when she's not sleeping with underwear models. You think I wanted that." She hissed back.

Fury took her in, considering her story, deciding whether or not he believed her. He finally decided to trust her, for what reason he knew not why.

"We'll still protect you. I'd rather have your antidote safe with us than in someone else's hands."

With that Fury stormed out of the bathroom, followed by Natasha and Clint, then Tony, who mumbled something about drama queens, and then Bruce. Finally, all that remained was Steve and Andrea.

"I don't understand any of this." Steve said simply, taking a short step away from her, "But I'll protect you none the less."

Andrea looked at him cautiously, "If I tell you the truth, will you consider it before taking it to the others?"

Steve stared at her, then nodded.

Andrea looked around, then started to leave the bathroom, beckoning Steve to follow, "The Council hasn't always thought like this. I think-I think for some reason they've changed their minds."

**Authors Note**: I don't really like this chapter. It feels weird to me. But, at like the last second, I decided to change the whole plot. Win! I'd love some feedback on this chapter, because I feel like it's not as good as the others, but I can't pinpoint why. Please help me out! Thanks everybody!


	10. An Old Threat

I do not own Marvel or any of their characters! I only own my original characters!

Andrea followed Steve to his floor of Stark Tower. She assumed Stark would find her somewhere to stay in the morning, but for tonight, she really didn't have a desire to sleep on the bathroom floor.

"You can stay in my bed if you want." Steve told her, yawning as he opened the bedroom door for her.

She shook her head tiredly, rejecting his offer, "No. I don't want to take your bed. I'd rather sleep on the couch anyway."

Steve raised an eyebrow, "You'd rather sleep on the couch than my bed?"

Andrea shrugged, "I feel like we should get to know each other better before we sleep together."

Steve's eyes widened as he started to blush, "I-I didn't mean you could sleep _with_ me. I was offering you my bed, while _I _sleep on the couch."

Andrea scoffed at that idea as well, "That's even worse Captain Rogers. Please, I'm not going to take your bed while forcing you to sleep on the couch. I'll be fine. Tomorrow we'll get this all sorted out. Please, I insist." Andrea told him, backing away from the bedroom.

Steve walked into the room and pulled open one of his dresser drawers, grabbing something out of it.

"What are you doing?" She asked curiously as she peaked her head in the door. He tossed a large white t-shirt at her.

"Put that on. It will be more comfortable than what you're wearing. The bathrooms right over there." He pointed to his joint bathroom in his bedroom. "Then get in the bed. If it's not comfortable enough for you, Stark will figure something else out tomorrow, but for tonight, you're not sleeping on the couch."

Andrea gazed at him, clutching the shirt close to her rising and falling chest. Steve had never said too much to her, and when he did, he was gentle and meek. Suddenly, Andrea saw the Captain side of him. She respected it. She liked it. She craved it.

"Okay." She answered quietly as he gave her a curt nod, then walked towards the door as she started towards the bathroom.

"Goodnight Miss Anderson." He said before gently closing the door.

Andrea stared at the door, longing for it to fly back open. If it had been any other man, it would have flown back open. But Steve did not return. He stayed in the living room, no doubt situating himself on the couch at that moment. Andrea smelled his shirt as she pulled it over her head and smiled.

"Good night, Captain."

Andrea did not sleep. She sat awake, eyes open, staring at the ceiling. She couldn't sleep. She had this eerie feeling something wicked was brewing. Everything had happened so fast. There had to be some higher power controlling all of this. She didn't understand.

Suddenly, a hand gripped her mouth and closed off her screams, the other hand grasped tightly around her neck, threatening her to continue screaming. He would kill her.

She stopped screaming, knowing resistance was futile. Her eyes avoided the man's, tears streaming out of them. He leaned low and whispered in her ear, "You will make the reversing serum, load it into a vile, and use it to take down the Hulk. Then you'll load the serum into a dart gun, and I'll come for it. Then I will shoot it straight into Captain America's heart."

Andrea's eyes flew open wide as the tears began to flow harder, she began choking for breath.

The man smiled grandly, white teeth glistening, but Andrea wouldn't look. "If you do this, no one will bother you anymore. You'll be free to live however you choose, and the World Council will get their minds back, and will no longer threaten you or your family or your _love_."

The man removed his hand from her neck, but kept the other trained hard on her mouth as she began to quiver, unable to even squirm. "If you don't do this, I'll be forced to use other methods to get you to do what I want. You can do it willingly, or I'll force you to do it. If you tell _anyone_ about this, I'll use you to kill off the Avengers. Every last one of them. This was all just a horrible dream"

He let go of her mouth, but she was too busy gasping for air to even scream. He began to walk towards the blue portal he seemed to have emerged from. "One last thing. Thank you for following directions all these years. You've done perfectly. We're almost finished now."

He disappeared into the darkness as the blue close brightly. Thunder clapped out the window.

She finally let out a blood curdling scream. Her sobs were uncontrollably loud, and it was merely a moment before Steve had broken the door straight off its hinges, wielding his shield at whatever had harmed her.

"What's wrong?" Steve yelped, rushing to her bedside where she held her neck, still gasping for air.

She gazed into his blue eyes, so full of concern and determination. For the slightest of a second, she imagined them empty and began to sob even harder, dry heaving over the bed as Steve surveyed the room.

"It was-it was just-a-a horrible dream." She finally stuttered, determined not to lose her mind.

"Are you sure?" Steve demanded as Natasha and Clint barged into the room, pistol and bow loaded, ready to shoot.

She nodded, face stained red from the tears. "I-I'm very sorry. That's-that's all it was." She murmered, hand gently caressing her neck.

Natasha gazed at the girl, noticing there were finger marks around her neck where she was rubbing. She shot Barton a look and a short nod, and the two went to scanning the room.

"I promise, there's-there's nothing here. It was just a nightmare. A horrible, _terrible_ nightmare."

Steve sat down beside the girl, setting his shield on the floor beside him. He gently threw an arm around her shoulders and shushed her as she cried softly, wiping the tears from her face. Steve gently kissed her head, and she grabbed his chest and squeezed, as if his calm breath could stop her own breathing from being so shallow.

"This is the second time I've been woken up tonight from loud noises because of you and I'm _really_ getting tired of it." Tony growled as he walzed into the room, Pepper and Bruce following him.

"I'm really sorry." Andrea whimpered, looking up from Steve to see Tony glaring at her.

Tony's eyes softened when he saw her face. This was serious.

"What happened to your neck Miss Anderson?" Pepper yelped as she strode towards the girl, who instantly covered her neck with her hand, leaning harder into Steve.

"I had a nightmare, I must have grabbed it in my sleep. I had a dream someone was choking me." Andrea answered, finally gaining enough composure to sound steady in her lies.

Pepper threw Tony a glance. He stared at Andrea blankly, unsure what to think. It could have been a dream. It could have been an enemy. One who could come and go without leaving a trace. One whom he distinctly remembered grabbing him by the neck and throwing him out the window of Stark Tower.

"Was it Loki?" Tony simply asked, finally looking into her eyes.

Andrea looked sincerely confused, asking "Who's Loki?"

"He's a- it's hard to explain." Bruce interrupted, unsure of _exactly_ how much she knew about the alien invasion.

"It was just a dream." She corrected. She didn't know if the horrible man was Loki, but she didn't want to piss him off.

"I don't believe you." Tony retorted shortly, not moving from his spot in the doorway.

"You don't have to, but it's the truth." Andrea responded, looking down, unsure if they were buying it. Either way, she had to try. She couldn't tell them the truth. She couldn't kill them.

"The place is clean. No break in." Barton reported, grabbing everyone's attention.

Natasha glanced at Andrea, who was pleading her to play along. "It must have just been a dream." Natasha added simply, emotionless.

Steve rested his chin on her head, holding her gently in his strong arms. Her eyes were wide and her emotions were too deep for anyone to read what was happening in her head. She held onto the super soldier tightly, not wanting him to go.

"Well, if it's just a dream, we'll go back to bed." Tony told them, giving the signal for everyone to leave the two alone.

Pepper gave Andrea's neck one last glance. Slight bruises were already beginning to form, matching her black eye. The President's daughter was a mess.

"If you need anything, we're here dear." Pepper said, her motherly instincts taking over.

Andrea nodded, "Thank you. Thank you all."

The group left, slowly, glancing back at Steve as he cradled Andrea. Natasha and Clint were the last ones to leave the room.

Natasha turned around slightly, still facing forward, "I know it's hard, but please try to get some sleep. I know what it's like to sleep after torture. Real or imaginary." The she followed Clint out the broken door.

Andrea finally released Steve, placing a hand on his strong shoulder.

"Perhaps, perhaps you would stay with me. Just for tonight?"

Steve nodded, gently sliding her under the covers. "I'll stay, but I won't be sleeping. Not a chance."

Andrea yawned, finally feeling safe for the first time. "I wish you would. I feel bad having you sit here awake." Her eyes grew droopy as she turned on her side, facing Steve's thigh as he sat on the side of his bed.

"It's almost dawn. I would have been up soon anyway." Steve responded, stroking her hair as she fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

**Author's Note**: This chapter is a little shorter, but I have big plans for the next one! Our last Avenger is coming! Thank you all for following and favoriteing this story! Reviews are always welcome and criticism is appreciated!


	11. The Start Of Something, Good or Bad

I do not own Marvel or any of their characters! I only own my original characters!

**Authors Note: **GET READY FOR SOME FLUFF AND ROMANCE GUYS. PLEASE give me your opinions on how I write Thor! I'm so afraid of doing a bad job, that's why he's coming into the story so late! Reviews/private messages are greatly appreciated! Thank you all so much for all the support!

Steve never slept in. He was always up at six o'clock. But today was a different day.

Andrea awoke and opened her heavy eyes, forgetting for a moment where she was and what had happened. She didn't know what haunted her more: the death of her best friend, the murderous Mr. Miller, or the awful man who had threatened her in the night. Either way, she was thankful to see Captain America still sat beside her.

Although Steve had promised he wouldn't sleep, Andrea saw that he had drifted off, head leaning against the wall, hand still resting on her shoulder where he had been stroking her last night. He slept in an almost upright position, barely still on the bed. She knew it couldn't be very comfortable, but she didn't want to wake him, because he looked so peaceful.

She quietly sat up, careful not to wake the sleeping soldier. She imagined for a moment, him sleeping his life away, encased in ice like a flea in amber. It seemed so unfair, one moment you are ready to die for your country, the next you wake up and find that you've been dealt a card worse than death: knowing everyone you'd ever loved was dead.

Andrea smiled coyly and leaned against him, snuggling her forehead next to his strong jaw. At her touch, Steve's eyes shot open, but he didn't move. It took him a moment to orientate himself to the situation, but when he did, he looked down at the woman next to him.

"Morning." She murmered, gazing at Steve.

"Good Morning Miss Anderson." Steve greeted, shrugging her off by stretching his arms. Andrea's eyes bulged as she got a good look at his muscles for the first time. As a scientist, she was enthralled by seeing the product of the super soldier serum so close. Her brilliant mind began turning, curious as to what she could uncover working with him instead of merely stealing the blood that rushed through those veins. As a woman, she was simply captivated by such a perfect human being who was so broken inside.

She shook off her thoughts and answered him simply, "Please call me Andrea. Miss Anderson is so formal. I'm tired of formal. I want friends. I've lost my only one."

"I'm sorry Andrea."

"I am too. Because it's my fault."

Steve slid his long legs off the side of the bed, arching his back to stretch it. Andrea purposely avoided looking, knowing she'd forget her manners and stare.

"Let's not talk about it. I'll make you some breakfast." Steve told her as he offered his hand to the girl.

"You can cook?" She asked earnestly.

"No, but I'm willing to try for a beautiful dame." Steve responded, immediately turning four shades of red, as if he'd been saving this pick up line for the right moment and can't believe he'd finally blurted it out.

"You are precious." Andrea cooed, taking his hand as he tried to avoid her gaze. "But I fear I'm not as beautiful as I was yesterday." Her hand went to her neck, which she was sure now had a purple bruise in the shape of a hand. Her eye was puffy, but she managed to keep it open.

"You're still beautiful." Steve said quietly, almost a whisper. She wasn't sure if he had meant for her to hear it, but she did, and her eyes sparkled dreamily.

"Let me put some makeup on. I-I have some in my purse." She stuttered, grabbing the small bag she had brought with her when Fury picked her up. She locked herself in the bathroom and leaned her back against the door, smiling to herself.

As Andrea attempted to cover up yesterday, Steve sauntered into the kitchen, half proud of himself, half thinking he'd made an ass of himself.

"Captain Rogers, Master Stark requests your presence, along with Miss Anderson's, at his private kitchen area as soon as possible." Jarvis announced over the PA system.

"We'll be there soon. Thank you Jarvis." Steve said to the wall.

Ten minutes later, Andrea was dressed and had covered her bruises up with makeup enough to make them disappear. Although her eye was a little puffy, she looked one hundred times better as she followed Steve into the elevator.

When they reached the kitchen, Andrea gazed at the group of super heroes who were making breakfast. Natasha was pouring herself a cup of coffee, looking tired but calm. Barton sat on a bar stool, fist against cheek, as he battled the fatigue that attacked him. Tony was down the largest cup of coffee Andrea had ever laid eyes on, and Bruce was typing away on his computer, engaged in something completely out of their interests it seemed. What really caught Andrea's attention though was the chipper blonde who smiled broadly when they walked in the door.

"Captain! I'm glad you are well. Our collegues have told me of your adventures with your king's daughter since I last left for Asgard."

"It's nice to see you too Thor." Steve yelped as the brawny man pulled him into a hug. "And, for the record, we don't have kings here in America. We have Presidents."

"This must be your leader's daughter!" Thor exclaimed as he brushed past Steve to greet Andrea.

"Hello sir, my name is Andrea Anderson." Andrea greeted sweetly, slightly alarmed by this strange, large man.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Andrea. I am Thor of Asgard." Thor said before he took her hand and kissed it.

"He's the God of Thunder, or something like that." Tony added, raising his coffee cup in a toast.

"The what of huh?" Andrea asked, pulling her jaw up off the floor.

"Yeah, didn't you hear that little detail sweet cheeks? We have a full fledged demi-god on our team. Welcome to the Avengers sweetheart."

Steve braced her as she tumbled backwards from Thor, getting a good look at him. "I can't believe if."

"Thor's here because there's been some disturbances in Asgard, we believe it may have something to do with Loki…Thor's brother." Bruce explained as he looked up from his laptop.

"Loki is the one you were talking about last night." Andrea questioned, but it was really more of a statement.

"Yes. My brother is beyond reason, and this wouldn't be the first time he's attacked a mortal. Or controlled their minds." Thor added quietly, however his deep booming voice betrayed him.

"You think your brother is controlling the World Council's minds? That's redicu-"

"Kind of like a man who was born in the 1920s who still looks to be _in_ his twenties?" Tony smirked.

Andrea began to flail her arms about as she lost control, "But that's something I _understand_, I'm a scientist, I've created the _antidote_ for the super soldier serum, I get that, I understand that, but you're asking me to believe that some demi-god from some ass-guard place is controlling the leaders of our world to get to me? Bull shit! I don't believe it for a second!"

"First off, it's Asgard, not ass-guard, although that's clever, I'll remember that." Tony explained, causing Natasha to roll her eyes. "Second of all, we're asking you to throw away your sense of disbelief for a while, and trust us. You say nothing happened last night, but I for one don't believe you. Either way, there are some very dangerous people out there looking for you, and we aren't going to let you get hurt."

"That was really deep Tony." Clint said bluntly.

"Yeah, has Loki been using his mind control on _you_?" Bruce snickered.

"My point being, just because you don't understand this doesn't mean you shouldn't trust it." Tony finished his case, throwing his hands up in a surrender motion. She was either going to take it or leave it.

Andrea considered this for a moment. Perhaps the man who had choked her last night was this Loki. He did say he would make her kill them if she didn't agree. Either way, she had to make sure the Avengers didn't catch on. So she knew she had to pretend to believe them, while pretending to not believe them, even though she knew they were right. About some of it.

"I won't let anything happen to you." Steve told her as he spun her around to face him. She smiled as she stared at him, unable to speak.

"Oh boy, someone's got it bad." Tony moaned under his breath.

"Got what?" Thor asked, deep voice resignating throughout the kitchen.

"It." Tony simply answered.

"What is it?" Thor asked again, this time slightly more annoyed. "And who's got it?"

"Both of them." Natasha said simply, noticing how neither of them were paying attention to the group blatantly talking about them. "They both have it bad."

Breakfast was amazing. Whoever made the food for Stark Tower deserved an award. Andrea was content. At least, she was on the outside.

She kept picturing the man in her mind, and she couldn't shake his words. She needed to start working on the serum, but her files were on her computer. Her computer was at the White House. In Washington D.C. And she was in New York. That was convenient.

She explained to the team that she needed her computer to take care of some fundraising details, and that she also missed her dog. Tony took a deep, shallow breath at the thought of her bringing a _dog_ back to Stark Tower, but he obliged, because, after all, she was the First Daughter.

"Happy will take you to LaGuardia, and from there you can take the Stark Jet to D.C." Tony told her as Pepper called for Happy to get the car.

"Thank you." She smiled sweetly, pulling out her infamous charm.

"Perhaps Captain Rogers would like to escort you? I believe the wo hole point of you being here is for you to be protected at all times. Perhaps someone could meet you at the airport with your things?" Pepper suggested.

Andrea nodded vaguely, "I suppose I can have someone do that." She pulled out her cell phone and called her mother, seeing as she no longer had an assistant.

Four hours later, Andrea and Steve were already back on the Stark Jet, heading back to New York from D.C. Andrea softly stroked Maddy, who laid her snout on her owner's lap, having missed her the past day. A small bag of clothes and belongings, including Andrea's laptop, sat in the seat next to her as she sat across from Steve.

"What is it you need the computer for?" Steve asked casually, motioning for the bag.

Andrea stared out the window, choosing not to answer his question. "Nothing good, I assure you."

Steve's eyebrow shot up, questioning her response. He was too smart to let her vague answer go, he knew she was hiding something. He knew she was lying to him. But he didn't know what her motives were. He took this moment to study her. There was something strong about her, and he respected that. Tony had told him of her reputation, but Steve had a hard time seeing it. She was young and beautiful and innocent. He couldn't see her entangled with a different man every weekend. He could, however, see her breaking into SHIELD. That was not out of the realm of possibility. He knew though, that no one was going to question her, punish her. Not because she was the President's daughter. Fury wasn't going to punish her because she had created a serum to undo what Erskine's serum had done. And Fury wasn't about to risk losing his Captain over a vile of blood.

"What do you see when you stare at me Captain Rogers?" Andrea asked suddenly, still looking out the window.

Captain America cleared his throat, eyes studying the woman before him as she avoided his gaze.

"I see someone who is stronger than people believe she is, but not strong enough to face this world alone Ma'am."

Andrea returned his gaze, then let her eyes wander over the man for a moment before replying, "I'm surprised you see more than a pretty face. I didn't figure I was the type of woman to pique Captain America's interest. I'm not quite as All American I thought you'd want."

"Ma'am, I don't know you well enough to want you. But I've seen enough to tell you aren't as weak as the media or the other Avengers see you. But you aren't as strong as you think you are. You can't do this alone. Especially if it is Loki who is after you."

"I've told you before. It was all a dream." Andrea said bluntly, turning away from him once more. Maddy lifted her head to look at Steve, sensing the tension in the plane.

"Cute dog you have there." Steve said, changing the subject quickly.

"Her name is Maddy." Andrea smiled, not letting go what had happened, but ignoring it for a moment.

Steve nodded, slightly looking up to look at Andrea as she tried desperately to ignore him. "I don't understand modern women." Steve blurted, then immediately regretted it as Andrea turned to him, eyes wide.

"Excuse me?"

Steve cleared his throat once more, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, but he couldn't back down now. He repeated his statement.

Andrea stared at him in surprise, then her eyes flittered down, embarrassed. She wanted to ask Steve to elaborate, but she didn't think she wanted to hear what he had to say. He didn't understand why she was so cruel to him when they were clearly intrigued by each other. At least, she was intrigued by him. But she couldn't be with Captain America. She could let what happened last time happen again. Not again.

**Author's Note: **Long chapter! Not a lot happened, but I needed to propel the story a little! Thanks to everyone for reading!


	12. Falling Falling Falling

I do not own Marvel or any of their characters! I only own my original characters

The next morning found Andrea working away in Tony's lab, hunched over a metal table with goggles over her eyes and her hair pulled back into a messy bun. She focused all her attention on the task at hand, and Tony and Bruce watched her warily on the security camera linked to the television in his study. Tony didn't seem to understand what she was working on, but Bruce pointed out chemicals he recognized.

"Is she replicating the super soldier serum?" Tony asked his friend quietly.

"No. She's using similar chemicals, but it's different. Those chemicals aren't like the ones found in steroids, they are more degenerative."

"She's creating the antidote."

Bruce nodded, then began rubbing the bridge of his nose, trying very hard not to get angry. "Yes. She is."

"Is she going to try to use it on Steve?"

Bruce stared at the monitor as Andrea stepped away from the table, examining her work. Then she turned towards the camera, grim look on her face. She knew she was being watched.

"I don't know." Bruce answered as Andrea quickly put away the chemicals, occasionally glancing up at the camera, watching it twitch as it followed her movement.

"What will the serum do if she uses it?" Tony asked, turning away from the television to see Bruce's reaction.

"If it was used on me," Bruce started, putting his glasses back on, "If used on, The Other Guy, it would probably kill the cells that cause him. If used on me, it would either kill those cells, or kill all the cells, deteriorating my body."

"And what if she uses it on Steve?"

"Same kind of situation." Bruce started, grabbing the remote and shutting off the television as Andrea put a lid on her creation. "It will kill the cells and deteriorate his muscles."

"So he'll go back to the way he was before the war?" Tony asked, not too worried. "That wouldn't be the end of the world."

Bruce shot him a look and Tony just shrugged, telling him that it could be worse.

"It could be worse. Because Steve is over ninety years old. If the super cells are killed off, he could potentially age very rapidly, which would probably kill him. He was frozen in ice for seventy years. He would almost certainly die if he aged that rapidly, everything catching up with him."

Tony jumped off the couch and stormed towards the door. "I'm not going to let that happen. The little tramp is out of here."

"What if that's not her intention?" Bruce defended.

"Are we going to wait and find out?" Tony snarled.

"Let's see what she does first, before we jump to any conclusions." Bruce mumbled, following Tony out the door.

The two men found Andrea sitting at the table in Stark's kitchen, watching Natasha and Clint spar lightly in the living room.

"Hey! No fighting near the flat screen!" Tony yelped as he saw the two fighting closer and closer to his expensive television.

Andrea smirked as Barton stuck his tongue out at Tony, which really set him off. She smiled up at Dr. Banner before a dark scowl overtook her face and she looked back down into her coffee cup.

Bruce noticed. He knew something was wrong, and it wasn't her idea. He had a pretty good idea of who's it was too.

"Where's Thor?" Bruce asked the sparring couple as Tony herded them back to the table, muttering something to the effect of 'save it for the gym'.

"He's with Steve. They are up on the roof." Natasha answered coolly, taking a seat beside Andrea, who offered a meek smile.

"What do you think Thor?" Steve asked earnestly, leaning against the wall that had held the portal for the Chitauri not so long ago. Sometimes when he needed to think, or remind himself that he was in the modern world, he'd come up there, and the look at the familiar yet different skyline of New York.

"I think you are falling for a beautiful maiden for the first time in many years." Thor answered slowly, a smile creeping across his face.

Steve rubbed his face with his hand as a smirk crawled across his face. He massaged his jaw as he gazed out over New York. "She's dangerous."

"If you win her heart Captain, she will cause you no threat."

Captain America smiled at the God of Thunder and nodded in agreement, silently admitting Thor was right. Steve was beginning to feel things for Andrea, things he hadn't felt in a very long time. He knew she felt the same. He could see it in her eyes. And even though she was in grave danger, he knew her mind was often trained on him.

"Captain, you are a brave warrior, but I'm afraid you don't know how to speak with a maiden." Thor added, smacking Steve hard on the back before he turned and went inside the building.

Steve grinned, "Yeah, that's not the first time I've heard that.

Steve pulled Andrea by the hand, leading her up the stairs of Stark Tower.

"Where are we going?" She questioned, trusting the brawny man who lead the way.

"Trust me." He responded simply before he swung open the door, showing Andrea the view of New York. She gasped as she took in the view, leaning against the side as Steve had done hours earlier. The sun was beginning to set, a dark sky appearing over the bay. Steve didn't let go of her hand, and Andrea took a step closer to him.

"It's beautiful." She stated, turning to face Steve. "Thank you for showing me this."

"Andrea, I don't know much about women. I have to say I've never officially been with someone. The last woman I loved, I don't know what happened to her…and I'll admit I'm scared. Scared that no one here will see me as more than Captain America, the super soldier with a super body and super mind and super possibilities for their conquests." Steve explained, gazing into her eyes.

"I see so much more than that. You have such a good heart. That's why Erskine chose you in the first place, is it not?" Andrea told the soldier, taking another step closer, closing the gap between them even more.

"He told me not to be a perfect soldier, but a good man." Steve recalled, turning to the sunset, as if the setting sun held the answers to his past.

"You're so handsome and strong, but that's not all you are. You are so much more than Captain America Steve. I don't know you that well, but I'd like to. When I was down you came to my side, no questions asked. That had nothing to do with looks or brawn, that was all you. And I swear, as long as I live, nobody will ever take that away from you. As long as you choose to be Captain America, you'll be Captain America. And when you've decided to lay down the shield, I guess I'll be sitting on your doorstep waiting for you to come home." Andrea beamed as he stepped up on her toes and places her hands on Steve's shoulders.

Steve returned the gesture by bending his head down, touching his forehead to hers. They both closed their eyes and listened to the sound of their breathing, Andrea stroking his cheek as he pulled her closer.

"I'd like that Andrea." Steve murmured, his warm breath tickling her face.

Andrea shifted her head a little, looking up into Steve's eyes and finally said, "Would you please just kiss me already?"

Steve leaned in farther and let his lips touch her, sweetly kissing her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him fiercely, causing Steve's eyes to open for a moment before he reciprocated.

Suddenly, Andrea pulled away and looked at Steve, tears starting to form in her eyes. "I don't want to hurt you. I don't want to hurt any of you…"

Steve stared at her, confused, "Where is this coming from?"

"He said that if I told anybody or if I didn't do what he said that he'd make me kill you all. He's going to kill you Steve, he's going to use my serum and kill you, and I can't let that happen." Andrea bawled softly, throwing her arms around Steve's strong chest.

"That damn Loki…" He snarled, stroking her hair.

"Please protect me, please don't let him hurt me. If he gets to me he'll kill you. I'd rather die than let him kill you, you do so much good in this world, I can't let him hurt you using me."

"I won't let him near you Andrea. Thor is here, he won't let his brother near you."

"Please don't let me see his wrecked face again! I never want to see that horrid _horrid _faceless man again!"

Steve's eyes went dark, but his grip did not loosen. He heard her loud and clear. It wasn't Loki who had threatened Andrea. It was someone who wanted revenge on Captain America.


	13. Hulk Out

I do not own Marvel or any of their characters! I only own my original characters

**Author's note:** Thank you all for reading and reviewing! I've gotten so many wonderful reviews and so many people have followed and favorite! And I have over 2,000 views! You guys are amazing! I hope you liked the last chapter and enjoy this one! We're out of the building up stage and are getting to the thick of things now!

Steve didn't know if what he had with Andrea was considered a relationship in modern times, but he hoped it was going that way. However, he knew that if he was starting the court the lady, he would have to tell her the truth. But he didn't want to tell her the truth yet, not about who had threatened her. In that moment of holding Andrea, Steve had wished it had been Loki. Loki was out of his mind, and somewhat of a god, but the Avengers had defeated him before, and could again.

But Steve knew this was far worse, because she was threatened by a ghost. Someone he had believed was dead….but then again, had everyone not thought he was dead too?

He shushed Andrea, mussing her hair as she took a deep breath, gaining her composure.

"I'm sorry. I'm not normally like this. I've been such a wreck lately." She laughed, wiping the tears off her face.

"You've been through a lot." Steve muttered, still reeling from what she had told him.

She kissed his soft lips, smiling as she pulled away, "It all seems so distant all of a sudden."

Steve forced a small grin, wanting to be happy with her. He would have been happier if it had been Loki. But now he knew the truth. All those years he'd slept away his life, what had happened to Red Skull? Steve thought he'd been dead. But now, thinking back on that moment he just can't shake, he realized maybe he wasn't dead after all. Now knowing what the cube was capable of, that it could open a portal to different worlds? Perhaps that's where Red Skull had been all this time...and seeing as old age had evaded Steve, the same would probably have happened to Schmidt. And seeing as Loki gained his saber from an alien force, who's to say Schmidt hadn't had contact with the same one, and now, since Loki had failed, Schmidt was being sent to take out the Avengers, and on a more personal level, Captain America.

"Everything's going to be okay." Andrea assured him, seeing that he was staring into the night sky above New York, eyes empty. "Steve?"

Steve snapped out of his thoughts and turned to the woman standing before him. Her blonde hair fell in tousled waves from the bun that had held it earlier. Her blue eyes glistened with trust, a look he'd seen in them before, but the gravity of it hit him now. Her cheeks were a slight shade of pink, he was making her blush just by looking at her. Her perfect teeth shone in the darkness. Her soft hands held his strong shoulders, and she rubbed her thumb against his white shirt. The material was flimsy, and she moved the material back and forth, feeling his shoulder bone.

"Come back to D.C. with me. Let's go public with this. Nobody will ever dare threaten to shut down the Avengers if America's Sweetheart is dating the Captain." Andrea grinned, pressing her nose against his.

"Andrea, I don't think we should leave-"

"And why not soldier?" She pouted, pulling away slightly, which only made him long for more. Her affections were infectious.

"Because you aren't safe. And neither are we…" Steve trailed off, shooting a gaze at the door.

"I'm supposed to take down the Hulk, and I can't do that if I'm nowhere near Bruce can I? And then he can't get to you if you are surrounded by security, I promise. It's only a short flight away, we only have to stay a few days. I want to make sure my father doesn't change his mind about the Avengers Bill." Andrea stated.

Steve opened his mouth to protest but she cut him off again.

"Plus, we could be alone. Just you and me for a while."

He watched as her sweet smile turned coy for a moment. He smiled when she caught herself and blushed lightly.

"I think you know I'm not that kind of guy."

"There are many more things we can do instead of sex darling." She purred, pulling on his hand gently to come back into the building.

That worried Steve more than he had expected.

"Did you two finally get together? Bout time." Tony hollered the pair walked in hand in hand.

Steve looked to Andrea, unsure about what they had exactly agreed to. She nodded softly, and Steve turned to Tony and answered, "We did."

"Atta boy Gramps. Show her you've still got game."

"Tony!" Pepper yelped as Clint stifled a laugh.

Andrea giggled and Steve turned scarlet. Natasha rolled her eyes and Thor just smiled happily at the couple. Bruce, however, didn't seem so happy about the arrangement.

"What were you making the lab this morning?" He asked, not beating around the bush with small talk.

Andrea made eye contact with the man. "I made the antidote to the super soldier serum. As I was told to do."

"And who do you intend on using it on?" Bruce shifted, green flickering in his eyes.

"No need to get angry Doctor. She's already explained the whole thing to me." Captain America put his arm in front of his girl, shielding her from The Other Guy who was threatening to come out.

"You're going to use it on me, and then on Steve." Bruce said levelly, swaying back and forth.

"Bruce…" Tony muttered as him and Pepper slowly backed away.

Andrea taunted the man, although she didn't want it to come to this. "I have it in the lab Dr. Banner. Don't make me do something I don't want to do."

"What if I want you to try it on me?" Bruce asked calmly, although him and everyone else in the room were still on edge.

"What if it kills you?" Andrea hissed back as Steve pulled her away from the angering doctor.

"What if I kill you first?" He growled, losing himself.

"Let's get out of here!" Steve whispered quickly as he pulled Andrea away before Bruce could fully Hulk out.

"Jarvis, get the suit ready." Tony ordered as Thor lifted his hammer, ready to fight the beast if he had to. Clint pulled Natasha away as she froze in fear. She would never admit it, but the Hulk was her one weakness. She'd seen her life flash before her eyes, and in a moment she faced death on the Hellicarrier had it not been for Thor. And whenever Bruce Hulked out on his team, which wasn't very often, Natasha lost her entire sense of confidence. If one of her own teammates could kill her, was she really supposed to believe she was invincible.

The Hulk roared at Steve and Andrea, who both stood bravely away from him. Andrea did not cower. She did not cry. The faceless man had terrified her, but she knew she could outmatch the Hulk. She'd studied every aspect of him since the incident. She had the cure downstairs. But did she dare try it?

"You call it Cap! You want us to subdue him till he calms down or do you want her to test out her serum on him?" Tony said slowly as he backed towards his cabinet that held his suit.

Captain America looked at Andrea, then back to his team as The Hulk started towards them. Tony's suit quickly formed to his body and he blasted the Hulk, angering him even more.

"Call it now Cap!" Stark's automated voice rang out of the suit.

"Hold him off!" Steve ordered, then took off towards the stairs to get his suit and shield. "I should have never left it down there." He muttered as he sprinted down the stairs, Andrea scrambling to keep up.

"What do you want me to do?" She asked meekly, knowing she'd caused this.

Steve paused on the stairs and looked up at her. "Get the serum ready."

She hopped in the elevator when Steve went to his room to get his suit. She rode it to her floor and grabbed the syringe. Then she grabbed the dart gun that had been meant for Captain America. She had no intention of letting anyone use it on him.

She froze when she heard an angry roar resonate throughout the building, and she sprinted back upstairs.

The Hulk grabbed Natasha and flung her by the leg against the couch.

"Tasha!" Clint yelled when she didn't move.

Hawkeye pulled out an arrow and loaded it quickly, shooting the Hulk as he meandered over to the woman. The Hulk roared angrily and charged at Barton until Iron Man took a turn blasting him. The Hulk stopped and stared at the Iron Man, unsure of who to go after next. Which was exactly what they were going for. Thor stood beside Tony with his mighty Mjolnir in hand, ready to fight. Just then, a flash of blue caught the Hulk's attention and he turned his face to Captain America and bellowed at him.

"We don't have to do this Banner. Remember the Chitauri? Remember how we fought side by side? We need you now Doctor." Steve told him calmly as he walked towards him, shield in hand.

"Captain…" Clint murmured as Natasha sat up slowly, eyes locked on the green monster.

The Hulk started towards the Captain, who held his ground. Andrea slipped in through the door to stand where Pepper was hiding and held the gun, dart loaded, ready if Steve gave her the signal.

The Hulk held Steve's eyes for what seemed forever. Andrea quivered, but kept the gun steady, out of the Hulk's sight. Suddenly, the Hulk grabbed Steve and threw him out the window.

"Steve!" Andrea screamed as both Thor and Iron Man flew themselves after the soldier.

The Hulk turned on Andrea and she shot him square in the chest, then darted out of the way after Pepper as he crashed into her hiding spot. The Hulk hit the ground hard and began to quiver as the serum took its effect.

Natasha and Barton stood on either side of the creature, watching it, making sure he wouldn't hurt anybody else.

"You okay Tasha?" Clint asked sincerely, looking at his more-than-a-coworker.

She nodded, "Yeah, that was fun." She choked a little as she pushed back her red hair from her sweaty face.

Andrea stood at the shattered glass, looking out over the side of the building for any sign of the three men who'd left it. She heard maniacal laughter in her mind and instinctly put her hands to her ear to stop it. "Get out of my head, get out of my head, GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" She screamed as she fell to her knees on the glass. Pepper slowly made her way over to the girl.

"It's okay sweetheart, it's okay…" She murmured, even though she knew it wasn't okay, but she was going to at least try to help.

"I hear him. I hear him in my-in my h-head." Andrea stammered, pressing harder than before as the laughter increased. He had won. She'd helped him. And she didn't even mean to. She'd destroyed the Hulk and killed Captain America. She did exactly what he had said she would do. And she did it all on accident.

"Please…" She sobbed, banging her fists on the glassy floor, causing them to bleed. "Please come back…"

Her wish was granted when she saw a crack of lightning and thunder rolled through the air. She looked up from her sorrows to see Thor land back onto the floor, Captain America draped over his arm.

"Steve!" Andrea cried out as Thor gently placed him on the floor. She looked up at Tony, who's face mask had flipped up, "Please tell me he didn't hit the ground. Please tell me he's not dead."

"I caught him before that happened. Barely, but I did. He was already out when I got to him. How's Banner?" Tony asked, more worried about his science bro than his leader. Figures.

"I shot him. I shot him with the serum.' Andrea answered, a little unnerved by the whole situation. What had she done this time?

"Banner!" Tony cried out, and dramatically kneeled by his friend, Iron Man suit and all. "Banner! My friend! My colleague! My science brother! I know you've been plagued by the oh-so-helpful Other Guy for so long! I cannot believe that he was finally your undoing!" Tony began to cry, but the others could tell it wasn't really _that_ heartfelt.

"Someone get this man some clothes! He needs to rest in peace and he cannot do that if his junk is hanging out everywhere!" Tony cried out, throwing his metal arms in the air.

"What the Hell is happening right now?" Natasha asked Clint, watching the whole thing unfold.

"He's either kidding or over struck with grief. Either way, let's get the man some clothes."

"BRUCE! OH GOD BRUCE!" Tony yelled out, on his knees.

"Tony."

"IT'S LIKE I CAN STILL HEAR HIS VOICE!"

"Tony."

"WHY BRUCE WHY?"

"TONY!"

Tony looked down at his friend and saw him looking back up at him. Alive.

"Well. That was embarrassing." Tony smirked and stood up as Clint offered him a blanket.

"Just a little." Bruce responded quietly as Natasha handed him his glasses. "I'm sorry about throwing you."

"It's okay. Worse has happened." She answered plainly.

"Is Cap okay?" He asked, looking around for his leader.

"Big Guy remembers everything does he?" Clint asked as Bruce pulled on the jeans Barton brought him.

"More than I wish he did." Bruce muttered, standing up and walking over to his friend.

Andrea gently stroked Steve's face while Thor hovered over her. "Please wake up. Please. I never meant for this to happen. I'm so sorry."

A few minutes went by in silence, and finally Pepper called for the SHIELD helicopeter to pick Steve up. Andrea climbed in with Steve and got on the phone immediately, calling the White House.

"I need the best doctor's in the country at the SHIELD medical ward immediately. Captain America is hurt and he needs medical attention immediately. If I don't have a team of the best in less than twenty minutes, the President's daughter will turn the whole country against the government for not helping her boyfriend."

Author's Note: Sorry this chapter was a little weird, but some big things happened. I went a little overboard with Tony and Bruce's relationship, but I hope you guys can kinda picture it like I did. Thanks again for the continued support! You guys are the reason I make time in my day to write this!


	14. Of Murder She Spoke

I do not own Marvel or any of their characters! I only own my original characters

**Author's Note: Alright readers! I have some bad news. Well, it's actually pretty awesome news, but it's bad for this story: I am leaving this weekend to start a semester long internship with Disney. Thus I will not have much time to write. I had such good intentions of finishing this before I left, but I don't foresee that happening. But I WILL finish it! It'll just be a little longer between chapters! Thank you all for your patience and support! **

"Vitals are steady. I think he's coming out of it."

"Steve…"

"He's conscious. He's going to be alright."

"Oh Steve."

He opened his eyes, slowly, weakly. Everything hurt. He remembered standing off against the Hulk and….and crashing through glass and free falling. He'd been thrown out the window.

He would have thought he was dead, except he'd dodged death before. He calibrated himself and looked up at the doctors who were buzzing over him.

"He's going to be fine." One finally said, motioning for the others to leave. "Captain Rogers, you're going to be a little sore for a while, but you'll be okay. You went under for a good ten minutes. You would be dead if we hadn't been here."

"I-I don't understand." The blonde soldier said as he slowly pushed himself up, returning the man's curious gaze.

"You'll have to thank your girlfriend. She called out all the shots." The man started to leave, then turned and muttered, "I know for a fact SHIELD would not have saved you Captain Rogers. You were already considered dead when we got to working on you, when we revived you."

As the doctor left, Andrea sat next to him on the bed and gently stroked his cheek as he stared at the wall in shock.

"What happened?"

"Banner threw you out the window. Thor and Tony went after you, and caught you before you could hit the ground, but the impact through the glass did quite a number on you. And falling…"

Steve grabbed her hand and kissed her knuckles, pressing his forehead against hers. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Everyone's fine. Even Bruce is okay. I-I used the serum on him." Andrea choked out.

"It's okay. It's okay, I'm sure he's fine with it." Steve assured her, pressing his blonde hair harder against her face.

"I was scared. I was so scared. Because I thought that, when I saw you lying there unconscious, I thought that he had won. I thought that I'd inadvertedly done what he'd wanted me to. And then I heard him. I heard him laughing in my head…."

Steve shushed the girl, even though she wasn't close to crying. She'd cried enough. She'd lost enough. She'd fought enough. Now she was just going to protect him. And he'd return the favor.

"You called in all those doctors to save me." He stated simply, stroking her long blonde hair.

She nodded, "I wasn't going to let you die. Not if I could help it. The best in the country are here."

He kissed her sweetly, but it quickly deepened. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately, because she could, and she longed for nothing else.

He pulled away before sneaking one more short kiss. "Is that offer for Washington still open?"

She smiled, "Of course. We'll probably have to do some press. The last thing we need is people thinking we're a scandal."

"And then we can be alone."

She smirked and stroked his cheek with her thumb, "Yes, we can be alone, but we won't do anything."

"What if we did?" Steve asked quietly.

Andrea stared at him, unsure of how to answer because she was unsure about how she felt. She wanted him, of course, she was crazy about him. He was sweet, and gentle, and sexy as hell. The things she so desperately wanted to do to him…but she loved how innocent he was. He was a gentleman, a real man, and he didn't need to sleep around to prove that.

"I-I don't understand Steve?"

He blushed and awkwardly brushed his hand through his hair before scoffing, "Nevermind. It just blurted out. Forget I said anything."

She nodded slowly, unsure if she was happy or hurt that he'd brushed off the remark.

"Miss Anderson over here!"

"Miss Anderson, can you tell us about the incident a couple of days ago?"

"Andrea, is it true you are dating Captain America?"

"Miss Anderson, where have you been all this time?"

The cameras flashed profusely as Andrea stood up to the microphone, secret service surrounding her. She brushed her hair away from her face and smiled sweetly at the press, her perfect teeth glistening.

"To answer your questions, the incident a couple of days ago was a negotiation gone wrong, which I greatly regret. My heart goes out to the family of my assistant and best friend who was lost in the accident. It is true, however, that Captain America saved me, and I have done my best to return the favor. We're figuring things out."

The reporters began to cry out at that, demanding her attention.

"Andrea, is it true that your father is planning on passing the Avengers Bill? If so, how will that reflect your relationship with the Captain and with your father?"

Andrea's eyes pierced the crowd, taking them all in before she continued, "The Bill is not getting passed. As long as I'm alive the Avengers will be active and no piece of legislation is going to stop them from protecting us. No further questions."

She walked away as the photographers continued to snap away and the reported hollered after her. She was glad Steve hadn't come with her. He wasn't great in front of crowds. Sure, he'd done his time selling war bonds in 1943, but he'd be fed to the sharks if he faced the press today. That was Tony's thing. That was Andrea's thing. That was one more thing she was going to protect him from.

Steve waited in the limo for her, and she snuggled up to him as soon as she got in.

"Please take us to my apartment." She said softly to the driver.

"You have an apartment in D.C.?" Steve wondered aloud.

"I do in fact." Andrea answered sweetly. "I'm old enough to have a place on my own and it's nice to come home to something that's not a huge white house on Pennsylvania Avenue. Besides, I'd kind of like to have you all to myself for a while without a team of superheroes of the leader of this country disrupting us."

The car pulled up in front of an apartment building and Andrea carried Maddy up to the door and pulled out a key with one hand and stuck it in the door. Steve smiled to himself as he watched her struggle a little, but she didn't ask for help. Dusk was falling upon them, and once inside the apartment Andrea placed her keys and cell phone in a bowl by the door.

"I don't want to take any calls tonight. I just want to spend time with you." She murmured as she stood close to him, placing her hands on his chest. He placed his hands on the small of his back, fighting the urge to let them fall farther.

"I'll make us some dinner. I make amazing pasta if I do say so myself." She said sweetly, moving away from him, making him want more.

Andrea knew how to work a man. She knew how to make him come crawling to her. There was something infectious about her that made Steve linger on her every word. As he sat in a kitchen chair near where she began boiling water, it hit him. This is what she did. The devious little devil. She was so dangerous, so powerful, and she knew it. Steve was struck by fear and apprehension for a moment as he watched her snap the pasta into the pot. His mind began to turn. Sure, she'd saved him, but, she's already taken down the Hulk. He'd spoken to Tony on the phone while she was at the press conference. Bruce was fine. But he couldn't become The Other Guy anymore. While Bruce saw it as a blessing, the other Avengers knew it was a curse. They wouldn't have defeated the Chitauri without him. What would they do if they needed him again?

What would they do if she got rid of their Captain?

"May I use your bathroom?" Steve asked, doing his best to keep his nerves out of his voice.

"You think I'm going to turn on you." She replied instead. She turned to face him, her eyes soft but dark.

"How do I know this isn't all part of your plan?" Steve started cautiously, standing up. Andrea studied him. He was in defense mode. He didn't need his suit or his shield. He could kill her right then if he wanted to.

"You don't. You have to trust I'm not going to hurt you. And if you don't, I guess I don't really blame you." She finished quietly, turning back to her pasta.

"Why's that?" He asked boldly, taking a step closer to her.

"Because. I have people blackmailing me. I have the government blackmailing me. I have that thing blackmailing me. I've done things that I'm not proud of. I have some pretty large skeletons in my closet…"

"Are you going to tell me?" Steve asked bluntly, standing behind the chair, as if her answer would determine if he sat back down and waited to be served or if he sprinted for the door.

Andrea noted this. Her eyes fell to the floor, then back up to his face, "Later. I'll tell you everything later, if you choose to stay."

"I'm not afraid of you Andrea. I just-I feel like you're hiding something."

"I am hiding something Steve…but let's not talk about that now. Let's just eat." She told him sternly, placing a huge plate of pasta at his place at the table.

Steve sat down, looking suspiciously between the food and Andrea. Half afraid she'd poisoned him, half afraid he was paranoid.

"Steve, please don't be afraid. I won't hurt you. Not on purpose. I promise. I swear on my life." Andrea pleaded, grabbing the edges of her wooden table in desperation.

"Let's talk about this after dinner. It's not that I'm afraid. I just don't know what you want. How do I know you aren't using me?" Steve argued back, a hurt look on his face.

Andrea placed her hand on his and sighed deeply, "Because if I was just using you or wanted to kill you, I would have done it by now."

The rest of the meal was in silence. Steve's heart hurt. He was falling fast and hard, but he wasn't sure if he could trust her. He wanted to trust her, more than anything, but something inside of him told him she was too dangerous to love. She had the serum that could take away everything…

After dinner, Andrea decided to give Steve some space, so she went to her room to do some things on her laptop. Steve paced the door outside, trying to figure out what was going on in his head and in his heart.

Finally he burst through the door, Andrea looking up at him in surprise. She'd taken off her makeup, and she wore thick framed glasses. When she opened her mouth in surprise, Steve noticed her teeth weren't as perfect as they usually were.

"You look…different." He said gently, not meaning to start the conversation with that.

She smiled weakly and shrugged, "Nobody's perfect."

"Do you wear fake teeth?" Steve asked quietly as he closed the door behind him. He watched her turn off her computer and set it on her nightstand. He now noticed she'd changed into a baggy t-shirt and pajama bottoms as well.

She nodded, keeping her eyes on him. "I do, in fact. It's better for my image if my teeth are straighter, and whiter, and overall better looking. It's the reason I wear contacts. And specialty makeup. I'm a doll they love to dress up."

He sat down next to her on the bed, stroking her messy blonde hair. "I like you better this way."

Her eyebrow shot up skeptically, "You're just saying that…"

"For the first time, I see the real you. Not who you're portrayed as, but you. It's….it's comforting." Steve stammered, unsure if he would offend her.

"Come to bed Steve. It's getting late." Is all she said in return, pushing her glasses up her nose.

Steve considered his options: he could leave, sleep on her couch, or join her. He had planned on joining her. Seeing her so dressed down and natural made him want to join her even more. But he wasn't sure how far he wanted to go.

He made up his mind and pulled his shirt up over his head and discarded it on the floor. He suddenly wished he had his shield, because he felt so unprotected. Andrea's eyes studied him as he pulled off his pants next, throwing them over his shirt. He then proceeded to crawl into bed next to Andrea, who quickly snuggled up next to him.

"Steve…You don't have to do this. I don't mind waiting." She mumbled softly into his neck as he stroked her hair.

"I don't want to wait."

An hour later they laid in bed, dripping sweat, naked under the covers. Andrea rubbed Steve's chest as he gazed at her. Her smile was sincere, but her eyes slowly turned cold.

"Steve, I need to tell you something."

He shifted to see her better, but she pulled the blanket up around her bosom. He watched her expectedly, as if he wanted to hear what she had to say, but he didn't want this moment to be ruined. It had been perfect.

She took a deep shallow breath, and placed her face in her free hand, shaking it violently. "I shouldn't have done this-I shouldn't have…. But I wanted to so badly, but….last time I was in bed with a super hero…"

"Johnny Storm?" Steve asked thoughtfully, remembering that she'd dated one of the members of the Fantastic Four.

"I'm the reason they broke up Steve. I'm the reason they got rid of their powers. They didn't want-and they couldn't say anything because they were afraid the same thing would happen to them…" She choked out, stealing a quick look back at Steve before she buried her face again.

"I don't understand." Steve replied, suddenly worried about where this was going.

_I just decided I could trust her…_

"We began dating. I fell for him, but I didn't exactly love him. The government approached me to use my antidote for the super soldier serum on him, because the others would quit willingly. The original serum didn't shrink the muscles it regulized the DNA, so it should have worked on him."

"It didn't?" Steve prodded.

Andrea took a deep breath, trembling, "One night, after we, ummm…." She paused awkwardly, turning deep red, "I gave him a shot of the antidote. He…he died." Her jaw hung open, trembling, as if she still couldn't believe it herself.

She watched Steve, waiting for him to bolt. But he just stared back at her, unmoving. Finally, he spoke.

"The man who threatened you is Johann Schmidt. I fought him during World War II. He was the head of Hydra, also known as the Red Skull, because the super soldier serum didn't affect him as it should have. He was the first person Erskine used it on. I thought he was dead. I thought….I thought he had died. On the plane, right before I crashed it into the ice."

Andrea stared back at him, calculating the information in her mind. "He wants to kill you. It's revenge isn't it? He's blackmailing me to get revenge on you?"

Steve nodded, "I'm sorry you were drug into all of this."

Andrea kissed his cheek and nuzzled his chin, a small tear running down her face. "I'm sorry that you just slept with the woman trying to kill you."

Author's Note: Long Chapter! I'll probably do one or two more really long ones. It'll take me a while to update, but I will! I kind of know how I want to end it, but I don't think you guys would like it. I'll work on it. Thanks for reading!


	15. A Plan

I do not own Marvel or any of their characters! I only own my original characters

**Authors Note: **Thank you all for favoriting and reviewing! You guys are wonderful! I hope you'll continue to be patient with me as I continue to write.

Morning brought neither closure nor comfort for Andrea. She gazed at Steve's perfect face, letting her eyes trail down to his muscular arm that she gently petted. So strong, he could kill her at any moment if she threatened him. No wonder he was unafraid. She swung her feet over the bed and went to the bathroom, Steve continued to stare at the ceiling as he had for the past several hours.

He didn't know what to do. He loved Andrea. It had only been a few days, but he knew he loved her. She stared straight into his soul. They had spent the rest of the night small talking, avoiding her past and his. She had actually bothered to get to know him. The sex was great. Steve was a man, he had needs. But, she captured his soul, in the wee hours of the morning. They hadn't slept, they'd stayed up and talked all night. Finally, a comfortable silence fell between them, and although sleep never came, they stayed awake with each other, consumed in thought.

When she returned, she looked like herself again, fake teeth, contacts, perfect skin. She was airbrushed in real life. But Steve saw her differently now. He knew she'd be with him forever. He knew that if she'd ask him to dance again, he would most definitely say yes, because she was the right partner. Peggy would have loved her, Peggy would have understood her troubles, being a military woman. Steve would lay his life down for her, and perhaps that's what Schmidt was hoping.

She sat on the edge of the bed as he got up and replaced his shirt and pants from the day before. His phone began ringing and she playfully answered it. "Captain Rogers' phone, how may I help you?"

"Give the phone to Steve. Now." The voice demanded on the other end.

Steve took the phone from Andrea and held it to his ear as he zipped his pants. "Yes?"

"What do you want first Capsicle? The good news or the bad news?" Tony drawled from the other end.

"Good news I guess?" Steve responded, sitting on the bed next to Andrea.

"The serum didn't work old man. Bruce isn't cured. He hulked out this morning. Luckily, the Hulk is more controlled now. It's actually quite wonderful." Tony chuckled.

"That's good." Steve muttered simply, throwing an arm around Andrea's shoulder as she sighed in relief. Her serum had done something good.

"The bad news though, is Jonathan Miller is dead." Tony deadpanned. The line fell silent.

Andrea froze, in shock. Steve watched her worriedly, waiting for some sort of reaction.

"He was found this morning, gun in hand, bullet in heart."

"He wouldn't have killed himself…this is a threat. This is a sign. Someone murdered him and they are making it seem like he was suicidal. I know it. I just know it." Andrea began to sob, throwing herself onto the bed.

"You call it Cap. What do you want to do?" Tony inquired, starting to sound annoyed at the crying in the background.

"Tony, it's Schmidt. It's Red Skull, he's behind all this. He's blackmailing Andrea, he's trying to get revenge on me. The end result of everything, killing the Hulk, killing Jonathan, having Andrea test the serum on one of the members of the Fantastic Four, commissioning her to create the serum for the soldier in Russia. It's all connected, he's all trying to get revenge on me. He wants her to give him the serum so he can use it on me, or else he'll force her to kill all of us." Steve explained, his authority growing.

"Schmidt's been dead for seventy years…"

"Schmidt's been in another realm for seventy years. I thought he'd died, but knowing what I know now, he's not dead. And if I'm still alive, it makes perfect sense he would be too. And seeking revenge on me." Steve finished as he gently pulled Andrea up off the pillow.

"You know him better than any of us Steve. You tell us what to do, and we'll do it. As a team." Tony's seriousness shimmered through the phone, and Steve knew that deep down Tony was worried for him.

"I have a plan. Send the Stark Jet, we'll be back in a few hours. I'll explain when we get there."

He hung up abruptly and strode into the kitchen, grabbing Andrea's purse and thrusting it at her.

"What's your plan?" She asked, wiping stray tears away.

"We're going to give him what he wants."

Andrea balked, which caught Steve by surprise since he had her by the wrist. "No. No no no, please Steve don't! He'll-He'll kill you! I can't lose you, not now. Please Steve-" Andrea begged, yanking his arm with all her might.

Steve stood strong, not flinching at her efforts. He watched her, having made up his mind.

"It didn't work on Bruce, I'll be fine." Steve finally said, hoping that would ease her frustrations.

"Bruce was a whole different thing, but this killed Johnny. Even if this is a variation, it'll probably kill you too Steve. If it was going to shrink our muscles and stature that would be fine, we would be fine with that, but Steve, you're over ninety years old. Without the serum you'll age quickly, you'll catch up, and that alone will kill you assuming nothing else does. Please, don't do this. There has to be another way." Andrea pleaded, but to no avail.

"Trust me Andrea. I've dealt with this man. There is no other way. Get another vile. Get the gun you used on Bruce. Take it somewhere and have him meet you." Steve ordered as they left the building and headed for her car, which she rarely used.

"What's the plan?" She asked sincerely, before opening the passenger door.

"I'm not going to tell you." Steve answered, a coy smile on his face, "Because if you don't know, then Schmidt can't torture it out of you."

"Do we all understand the plan?" Steve asked the rest of the Avengers. Thor held his hammer, tossing it back and forth in each hand, nodding in understanding. Bruce stared at his fists, but he listened intently to the plan. Tony bopped around like he had a soundtrack in his head, but he gave Steve a thumbs up when Steve glanced his direction. Natasha and Clint watched Steve, no emotion on their face, just understanding.

"Does the princess know?" Tony asked, still bopping his head.

"No. It's better that way. Dr. Banner, do you think you can do it? If I get you a vile of her anti-serum?" Steve asked quietly, worried his girlfriend was listening behind the door.

"I'll do my best Captain." Bruce answered, finally looking up at him with tired eyes.

"Alright then. Let's catch a Nazi."

**Author's Note: **This chapter is ridiculously short, but I haven't had time to write and wanted to give you guys at least something! I'm still here! I promise I'll have it finished as soon as I can! Thank you all for being patient!


	16. Anticlimactic Battle

I do not own Marvel or any of their characters! I only own my original characters

"Please, Steve, please don't make me do this." Andrea pleaded softly as Steve watched the team suit up.

"It's the only way. Trust me, everything's going to be fine." Steve consoled her, placing his strong hand on her cheek.

"He'll kill you…"

"That's a risk I'm willing to take."

"But I'm not. Steve, please, I beg of you, don't make me give it to him, there has to be another way." Andrea whimpered, grasping his hand tightly against her face.

Steve glanced at Bruce, who gave him a curt nod before following Hawkeye to the plane. "I just need you to trust me. This is something we have to do. You're going to go to the drop point, then wait. Wait however long it takes for him to come. Give him the vile." Steve handed her a briefcase with her antidote in it, "Then tell him we're there, waiting for him. He won't come after me until he has your serum."

"And how will this help anything?" Andrea asked, completely missing the part of the plan where they win.

"His sole focus will be on me. Once he's used the serum on me, the others will capture him. He's got the same super soldier serum running through his veins, we only gave him half a vile of your antidote, Tony has the other half loaded in a dart gun in his suit. We'll take him out like that." Steve explained, pressing his lips against her forhead as he finished. He prayed this would work. He prayed that this plan would work. Because he hadn't lived seventy years encased in ice only to die when he finally found happiness again.

"And how will you survive if he shoots you? Even half of that vile would be enough to destroy the super cells. Just because it didn't work on Bruce doesn't mean it wouldn't work on you, I built it straight from the super soldier serum from the 1940's. I spent years digging up research and dirt on Erskine's serum, and I made sure it was perfect damnit! I've watched too many people die, and I won't let you be one of them Steve." Andrea snarled, pulling away from him.

"This isn't up for discussion. We're leaving now." Steve ordered, switching from doting boyfriend to Captain America in a moment. Andrea saw the change in him and sighed, defeated.

"Alright, can everybody hear me?" Cap tested his earpiece, checking in with his team as they assembled towards the plane.

"Loud and clear Spangles." Tony answered, soaring above the group.

Thor gave a curt nod and summoned lightning, pulling together his battle armor. He trusted his Captain's plan, but he wasn't about to let anything go wrong.

Natasha and Clint each nodded their heads slightly, adjusting their own earpieces to be comfortable. Dr. Banner simply gazed at Steve, silently praying that this would go off without a hitch. If Schmidt pulled anything unexpected, they could lose their leader, and the Avengers would fall into ruin without him.

The plane ride was tense. Tony attempted to crack a few jokes, but nobody was reacting. Andrea had contacted her father, and informed him of what was happening. Her father insisted that security be sent, but she said no. Andrea had created this mess, and now she was going to clean it up herself.

The drop spot they had chosen was an old warehouse on the edge of the harbor. When the plane landed, Andrea got out, alone.

She went inside and waited patiently, not knowing if or when the Red Skull would appear. All she knew is that she feared for her life, and Steve's as well.

After what must have been several hours, a voice broke through the silence, startling Andrea.

"You are a very patient woman Miss Anderson. I'm surprised you have not fled, seeing how terrified you are."

Tears began to form in Andrea's eyes as she slowly turned towards the German accented voice. "I brought it." She said simply, eyes fixed on the floor.

"And where is Captain America?" Red Skull asked, pulling the case away with his red, bony hand.

Andrea squeezed her eyes shut, "He's here."

Suddenly, Schmidt grabbed her by the mouth and muffled her screams, sqeezing tighter and tighter until he simply let go, letting Andrea fall to the floor, sputtering.

"I will kill her Captain, if you don't show yourself soon. I think you above everyone else should understand how deadly I am." Schmidt taunted, placing a foot on Andrea's neck. He knew torture, because he pressed just enough to choke her, but not enough to kill her. Because there were such worse things than death when love was involved.

"Let her go Schmidt."

Red Skull turned his wretched face to see Captain America for the first time in over seventy years. For a moment, Steve forgot that he wasn't fighting World War II anymore, because this situation was all too familiar.

"I've been watching you Captain. I returned to Earth when I realized you were still alive. We've found the secret to living forever Captain, and you don't even seem to be enjoying it. You could settle down, have a family, have everything you ever wanted. But you choose to keep fighting, after you've already lost everything, and everyone. But I'm working for a higher power now. And he won't stop until the Avengers are out of his way, and he can take over Earth. Loki failed, but I will not!"

Captain America lunged at Red Skull and the two began to fight, hand to hand. This was when the rest of the team started to come out of the woodwork.

Natasha and Barton aimed their respective gun and bow, ready to shoot when they had the chance. Thor thundered through the door, summoning lightning all around them, while Tony flew in, trying to get a good aim on Schmidt to shoot him.

"Andrea, are you alright?" Dr. Banner inquired as he knelt beside her. She nodded, hand rubbing her throat. She wearily watched as Red Skull through Steve to the ground and kicked him fiercely. Steve winced before sliding his legs under Schmidt's, bringing him onto his back.

"Get the vile." She whispered, as Banner began to get angry, roaring as the Hulk emerged. Suddenly, a blue force took them all back, and Red Skull revealed to have a scepter as Loki had once used.

He zapped it towards Natasha and Clint, causing them to back down for fear of getting disintegrated.

"We can't fight that thing. Thor, take him out!" Nat ordered through her mic, panting as her and Barton dodged the blasts.

Thor charged at Schmidt, but Schmidt put up his scepter against the Mjolnir. Thor was surprised when Schmidt's strength rivaled his own, but Thor finally pressed him to the ground.

"Now!" He bellowed, his remark aimed at Tony, but Schmidt aimed the scepter from behind Thor and blasted Iron Man, causing the suit to shut down and plummet towards the ground as the Hulk caught him, setting him down gently.

The small distraction was all Thor needed to be overthrow my Schmidt, who quickly opened a portal in the ceiling.

"It'll all come crumbling down and we'll all die, unless you all stop and listen to me." Schmidt said calmly, standing up and brushing off his jacket.

Steve watched from where he stood in front of Andrea, protecting her from his former nemesis. She grabbed a tight hold to his Captain America suit, peering out from behind his arm. A deep scowl formed on his face as Schmidt turned his attention to him.

"I want everyone to back off except for Captain America and the tramp. She did what she was supposed to do, and as a reward, I'll send her off with her precious Captain." Schmidt threatened.

"You won't touch her Schmidt. It's me you want. Everyone stand down." Steve ordered.

The team did as they were told. Tony, with the help of Thor, crawled out of the suit, but didn't back away. He stood there, armor less, ready to do what he could if the moment called for it.

"It's you versus me Schmidt. And I'm going to give you one chance to get away. Go through the portal now, and I won't kill you." Steve offered, showing too much humanity for the monster before him.

"I'll leave when Captain America is officially dead. But now I know that if you get away this time, she'll always be able to make more serum to kill you. And I can use this to make her kill you herself." Schmidt sneered as he took a step towards them, scepter in hand.

Andrea shielded her eyes, not allowing herself to be controlled. Schmidt laughed and she began to sob, his laugh haunting her even still. The Red Skull pressed a button and a small plane revved as he backed towards it, pulling the gun out of his pocket as he climbed in.

"Goodbye Captain America. I never thought it could possibly be this easy to kill you…" Schmidt took aim and Steve didn't move. He stood there, staring the Red Skull right in the face, waiting for the sting of the needle.

Schmidt pulled the trigger and in one swift motion as the vile hurtled towards Steve, Andrea slid her way in front of him faster than he thought possible, and the needle pierced her back as she clung to him.

"No." Schmidt said, eyes wide with shock as Andrea lost her footing.

"No!" Steve cried out as he caught her, her hand still grasping the star on his chest with all her might.

Schmidt flew the plane through the portal, not waiting until one of Steve's teammates could retaliate. The girl who could undo the Super Soldier Serum had been killed.

"Stand back!" Bruce yelled at Tony and Thor as they attempted to come to Steve's side.

Natasha knelt beside Steve, Clint standing with the rest of the men. "Steve…" Nat mustered, but he threw her a look that could kill.

"Just get out of here. Leave us alone. Please."

Natasha nodded, standing and herding the others towards the door. Tony's eyes were filled with shock. The President's daughter was dying. And it was their fault. What would happen to the Avengers now?

"Why the hell did you do that? We had a plan damnit!" Steve screamed angrily as Andrea's grip loosened.

"I couldn't let you die." She choked out, unable to keep her head up any longer. The serum was working fast. "Lay me down Steve."

"Now what? Now what happens to me? What happens to us? I have to spend every waking minute thinking about this-"

Steve began to sob as Andrea grew thinner and thinner. He could see that she didn't have long. He gently laid her on the ground, and somehow, with whatever strength she had left, she managed to flip herself over, shielding her face from him.

"I don't want to live without you…" Steve murmered, trying to find the strength not to cry.

"Get out of here Steve. Please." Andrea whispered, her cheeks sinking in as the serum disintegrated her muscles. Steve knew she didn't want him to see her like that. She softly began to cry as he forced himself to stand and take one step away, facing the other direction.

Then the soft sound of crying stopped. And the room was silent.

Steve swallowed deeply, and didn't turn around. He walked out slowly, picking up his shield from where he had dropped it, and left without turning around.

Dr. Banner hid in the shadows, eyes locked on the pile of bones and flesh that were once the President's daughter. Their plan was dangerous, but it could have worked. If only she hadn't intervened.

If only there was a way he could save her the way he had planned on saving Steve. Because they had meant for that dart to hit Steve. It was a shame she hadn't known that.

**Author's Note: **Sorry this took so long to post! I've been super busy, but finally got around to writing it! I'm sorry if this isn't how people envisioned the story going….I'll post one more chapter and kind of tie up loose ends. I'm contemplating writing a sequel if people are interested, so just let me know what you guys want/think! Thanks for being patient guys! There's ONE MORE chapter coming!


	17. Epilogue: After Andrea

I do not own Marvel or any of their characters! I only own my original characters

**Author's Note: **This chapter is merely a short epilogue tying up loose ends. The rest is up to you guys: Sequel, or no sequel? I'm very busy, but if it's something you guys want, I'll work on it. If not, when I have time, I'll try to start something new! Thanks for all of your support and reviews! Please leave one more and tell me your final thoughts and if you want more!

The news of Andrea's death brought sadness and chaos throughout the country. Much to Tony's dismay, the President did in fact decide to put the Avenger's Bill through. Steve didn't care. Steve just wanted to curl up and die. This was the second time he'd have to find a way to go on in this century without the woman he loved. He never thought he'd fall in love again, but somehow Andrea got into his heart. And now she was gone. Because of him.

"Steve. I'm sorry." Tony said simply, then turned and walked away as Steve stood in his army uniform, ready to face the press and talk about what happened to Andrea. He intended to tell them the truth.

He took a deep breath and stood at the microphone, explaining how she had died, and why. The press took pictures and yelled questions, and he tried his best to answer, but even the reporters could tell he was choked up. Surprisingly, no one seemed to blame him. It was a horrible tragedy, the President's daughter killed for trying to save Captain America. And Captain America being completely and utterly crushed over it.

Afterwards, Steve went back to his apartment and crawled into bed, holding back his tears as he thought about her, her beautiful face and body turning to skin and bones. A body he'd felt so intimately, that he'd hoped he'd sleep next to for years to come. And he'd left her, laying on the ground, until the last breath was snuffed out of her body. He couldn't handle it. He couldn't live with this guilt. America's Sweetheart was dead and it was his fault. She'd done it for him.

There was a knock at Steve's door. He moaned as he pulled himself out of bed, sure it was probably Natasha or Tony or Bruce. He didn't want to talk to them, but he wasn't about to start being rude. That just wasn't him.

He swung open the door, and froze, his eyes taking in the sight before him.

It was Andrea. She was standing on his doorstep, smiling up at him with her beautiful eyes, alive as ever.

The End


	18. Announcement

Dear Readers: You spoke and were heard! I have started the sequel to Miss America, called America's New Hope! Please read and review! Thank you all for your continued support!


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